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SMABOW   OF 


Til    CBOSS, 


• 


SHADOW  OF  THE  CROSS: 


AN    ALLEGORY. 


BY  THE  REV.  W.  ADAMS,  M.  A. 


FOURTH   AMERICAN   EDITION, 

WITH  ENGRAVINGS    FROM    ORIGINAL  DESIGNS. 
BY   CHAPMAN 


NEW-YORK: 
GENERAL  PROT.  EPISCOPAL  S.  S.  UNION, 

DANIEL   DANA  Jr.   AGENT. 

Depository  20  John  Street. 

1849. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1844,  by 
John  W  Mitchell,  (as  Treasurer  of  the  General  Prostestant 
Episcopal  Sunday  School  Union)  in  the  Office  of  the  Clerk  of  the 
United  States  District  Court  for  the  Southern  District  of  New- 
York. 


PREFACE 

TO    THE    AMERICAN    EDITION. 

The  following  beautiful  Allegory  is  reprinted 
without  alteration,  from  the  second  London  Edition, 
and  something,  it  is  deemed,  has  been  added  to  its 
original  value  in  the  elegant  and  appropriate  illustra- 
tions, the  designs  for  which  were  furnished  by  our 
distinguished  native  artist,  John  G.  Chapman,  and 
executed  by  Howiand.  Brothers,  of  New  York. 


It 


■J\ 


Pudney  &  Russell,  Printers. 


®f]c  Sljairoto  of  tlje  (Jros0. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Old  friends,  old  scenes,  will  lovelier  be, 
As  more  of  Heaven  in  each  we  see  • 
Some  softening  gleam  of  love  and  prayer 
Shall  dawn  on  every  cross  and  care. 


i  thick  darkness 
was  spread  over 
the  earth,  and 
■M  as  I  stood  on 
the  top  of  a  lof- 
ty mountain,  the 
only  object  that 
I  could  see  was 


A4 


S  SHADOW  OF   THE    CROSS. 

the  sun,  which  had  risen  in  the  far  east 
with  a  wonderful  glory.  It  was  as  a 
ball  of  clear  and  living  fire ;  and  yet  so 
soft  and  chastened  was  its  ray,  that, 
while  I  gazed,  my  eye  was  not  dazzled, 
and  I  felt  I  should  like  to  look  upon  it 
for  ever.  Presently,  as  it  shone  upon 
the  mists  which  rested  on  the  earth, 
they  became  tremulous  with  light,  and 
in  a  moment  they  floated  by,  and  a 
scene  of  life  and  beauty  was  opened  ti 
my  view. 

I  saw  a  spot  of  ground,  so  rich  and 
fertile,  that  it  might  well  be  called  a 
garden  ;  —  the  sweetest  flowers  were 
growing  wild  in  the  fields,  and  the 
very  pathways  appeared  to  sparkle  with 
rubies  and  emeralds  ;  there  were,  too, 
the  most   luxuriant  orchards,   and    cool 


SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS.  9 

groves  of  orange  trees  and  myrtles,  and 
the  breeze  of  the  morning  was  play- 
ing among  their  branches.  Now,  as 
I  watched  the  butterflies  that  fluttered 
over  the  flowers,  and  the  lambs  sport- 
ing on  the  smooth  grass,  and  as  I  list- 
ened to  the  song  of  the  nightingales  in 
the  woods,  I  fancied  it  was  some  scene 
of  enchantment  which  I  saw,  it  was  so 
very  full  of  happiness  and  life.  Every 
where,  at  the  extremity  of  the  view,  my 
eye  rested  on  a  clear  narrow  stream : 
I  could  trace  neither  mountain  from 
which  it  rose,  nor  ocean  into  which  it 
fell ;  but  it  glided  round  and  round  in 
an  endless  circular  course,  forming  as  it 
were  a  border  of  silver  to  that  lovely 
garden  on  which  the  sun  was  shining. 
The    morning    light    ever    kept    adding 


10  SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS. 

fresh  beauty  to  each  tree  and  flower 
on  which  it  fell,  but  the  brighest  and 
clearest  rays  were  those  which  were  re- 
flected by  this  narrow  stream ;  and  at 
this  I  wondered  the  rather,  because,  on 
the  other  side  of  the  ring  of  water,  all 
was  still  wrapt  in  a  thick  and  gloomy 
fog,  and  though  I  gazed  long  and  ear- 
nestly, I  saw  nothing. 

Young  and  lovely  children  were  con- 
tinually crossing  the  narrow  stream ; 
there  was  no  other  way  of  escaping 
from  the  land  of  darkness  to  the  land 
of  light.  Their  garments  became  white 
as  snow  by  their  passage  through  the 
water,  and  sparkled  with  a  dazzling 
brightness  as  the  sun  first  shone  upon 
them  ;  I  observed,  too,  that  each  child, 
as  he  entered  the  garden,  held  a  little 


SHADOW  OF    THE    CROSS.  11 

cross  in  his  hand.  Now,  when  I  reflect- 
ed how  many  millions  might  still  be 
wandering  in  the  dark  and  gloomy  re- 
gion beyond,  on  whom  the  glorious  sun 
would  never  shed  its  cheering  warmth, 
I  could  not  help  thinking  how  happy 
the  children  were  to  have  found  thus 
early  the  narrow  stream,  and  I  said  in 
my  heart,  Surely  this  lovely  garden  was 
made  for  them,  and  they  will  live  in  it 
for  ever. 

While  I  was  musing  thus,  it  seemed 
that,  in  answer,  a  still  soft  Voice  came 
floating  on  the  breeze,  and  said,  "It  is 
indeed  for  such  children  as  these  that 
the  sun  is  shining,  and  for  them  that 
the  mists  have  been  cleared  away,  but 
none  of  the  beautiful  things  in  the  gar- 
den belong  to   them ;    they  are  waiting 


12  SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS. 

here  as  strangers,  till  their  Father  shall 
summon  them  home  ;  and  when  they 
go  hence,  they  can  take  nothing  away 
with  them  but  the  little  crosses  in  their 
hands,  and  the  white  garments  which 
they  wear."  "  Who,  then,  are  these 
children?"  I  asked,  "and  what  is  the 
name  of  the  garden  ?  and  when  they 
are  taken  from  it,  whither  will  they 
go?"  And  the  Voice  said,  "The  chil- 
dren are  sons  of  a  mighty  King,  and 
the  garden  is  called  the  Garden  of  tiXC 
SUattoto  of  the  @tms ;  but  no  one  can 
tell  whither  each  child  will  go  when 
he  is  taken  away  —  it  will  depend  on 
how  far  he  escapes  the  dangers  of  the 
garden.  If  they  carelessly  lose  their 
crosses,  or  so  stain  their  beautiful  gar- 
ments, that  they  can  be  made  white  no 


SHADOW  OF    THE    CROSS.  13 

more,  they  will  be  thought  unworthy 
of  the  presence  of  the  great  King,  and 
will  be  hid  in  an  outer  darkness,  more 
thick  and  terrible  than  that  which  they 
have  just  left.  But  if,  when  they  go 
away,  the  crosses  are  still  in  their 
hands,  and  they  so  far  keep  themselves 
clean  that  the  King  may  recognise  them 
for  His  own  children,  then  will  their 
garments  be  washed  until  they  become 
more  shining  white  than  snow,  and  they 
will  be  taken  to  a  brighter  and  happier 
land,  in  which  they  will  live  with  their 
Father  for  ever." 

But  I  understood  not  what  the  Voice 
meant  by  the  dangers  of  the  garden, 
and  I  wondered,  too,  that  it  should 
speak  to  me  of  a  brighter  and  happier 
land ;   for  I  thought  within  myself,  that 


14  SHADOW  OF    THE    CROSS. 

no  land  could  be  more  beautiful  than 
that  on  which  I  gazed,  and  no  sun  more 
glorious  than  that  which  was  shining 
there.  And  the  Voice  again  answered 
my  thoughts,  and  said,  "It  is  indeed 
true,  that  no  sun  surpasseth  in  glory- 
that  which  is  shining  on  the  land  en- 
circled by  the  silver  stream ;  but  were 
it  not  for  the  light  so  resting  upon  it, 
there  is  nothing  to  be  desired  in  the  gar- 
den itself.  At  one  time  every  thing,  not 
only  here,  but  in  the  country  around, 
was  very  good  —  there  was  no  mist  or 
darkness  then ;  but  now  an  enemy  of 
the  King  has  corrupted  all.  The  very 
air  the  children  breathe  is  wont  to  sully 
iheir  white  garments,  and  each  delight 
of  the  garden  is  full  of  hidden  danger 
and  deceit.     While  every  thing  appears 


SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS.  15 

to  the  eye  so  beautiful  and  innocent, 
there  is,  in  truth,  a  poison  lurking  in 
each  fruit  and  flower ;  cunning  serpents 
are  hiding  in  the  grass  ;  snares  and 
stumbling-blocks  innumerable  are  placed 
in  the  broad  ways  that  look  so  bright 
and  smooth ;  and  even  in  the  groves 
of  myrtle  roaring  lions  are  wandering 
about,  anxious  to  tear  the  children  that 
come  thither,  and  to  stain  their  white 
garments  with  blood." 

And  when  I  heard  this,  I  wept  bit- 
terly for  the  poor  children,  whom  I  had 
thought  so  happy  before,  and  I  said, 
"  Oh  wretched  children,  thus  to  be 
placed  in  a  garden  so  full  of  dangers, 
and  to  be  tempted  by  fruits  and  flowers 
which  you  dare  not  gather !  Surely  there 
is  not  one  of  you  who  wiU   not  at  last 


16  SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS. 

imbibe  some  secret  poison,  or  fall  into 
some  dreadful  snare,  or  be  stung  by  a 
serpent,  or  torn  by  a  lion ;  and  so  you 
will  be  prevented  from  entering  that 
better  country  which  your  Father  has 
prepared  for  you."  And  the  Voice  said, 
"  There  is  not  one  of  the  King's  children 
who  may  not  dwell  in  peace  and  happi- 
ness in  the  garden.  Not  only  is  their 
Father  Himself  ever  present  with  them, 
though  they  cannot  see  Him,  but  He  has 
given  to  each  a  talisman,  which  will  en- 
able them  to  live  here  in  security,  and 
even  to  enjoy  the  fruits  and  flowers  until 
it  is  His  good  pleasure  to  call  them  to 
Himself.  You  see  that  the  sun  is  shin- 
ing brightly  and  gloriously  in  the  east ; 
you  see,  too,  that  each  little  one  has 
been    provided   with    a  cross  : — so  long 


SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS.  17 

then  as  the  cross  is  so  held  that  the 
rays  of  the  sun  fall  upon  it,  and  cast 
a  shadow  upon  the  surrounding  objects, 
they  will  remain  safe  and  happy  in  their 
garden ;  for  every  fruit  on  which  the 
mark  of  the  cross  is  seen,  may  be  tasted 
of  without  fear,  and  each  path  may  be 
trodden  in  safety  on  which  its  shadow 
rests. 

"  But  will  not,"  I  asked,  "  the  hands 
of  the  children  become  wearied  by  hold- 
ing the  cross,  and  their  eyes  grow  dim 
while  they  watch  the  shadows  ?"  And 
the  Voice  replied,  "  Their  hands  would 
indeed  soon  become  weary,  and  their 
eyes  grow  dim,  if  their  sight  or  their 
strength  were  their  own ;  but  these  are 
among  the  number  of  those  precious 
gifts,  that  each  child,  as  he  crossed  the 


18  SHADOW  OF    THE    CROSS. 

stream,  received  from  his  Father.  He 
is  ever  at  hand  to  watch  over  them ; 
and,  so  long  as  they  are  really  anxious 
to  be  guided  by  the  cross,  He  will  not 
suffer  their  sight  or  strength  to  fail. 
Nay  more,  He  has  appointed  means, 
by  which  they  themselves  may  seek 
the  renewal  of  these  gifts  day  after 
day,  and  hour  after  hour." 

When  I  heard  this  I  wept  no  more, 
but  I  thought  how  good  and  kind  that 
Father  must  be,  who  took  such  care 
of  each  little  child.  From  this  time  I 
ceased  to  watch  the  trees  and  the  flow- 
ers, or  even  the  bright  ring  of  water 
that  kept  flowing  round  the  garden  ; 
for  I  felt  deeply  interested  about  the 
King's  children,  and  I  fancied  it  would 
be  very  beautiful  to  see  them  throwing 


SHADOW  OF    THE    CROSS.  19 

shadows  from  their  little  crosses,  and 
so  living  unhurt  in  the  garden  of  the 
Shadow  of  the  Cross. 

Now,  I  had  expected  that,  as  there 
was  no  difference  in  the  crosses  them- 
selves, so,  too,  would  there  be  none  in 
the  shadows,  and  that  every  child  who 
held  the  cross  would  make  the  same  use 
of  it.  But  I  soon  found  that,  though 
the  crosses  were  indeed  all  alike,  there 
was  very  great  variety  in  the  images 
which  they  cast.  There  were  some 
which  were  very  dark  and  gloomy,  and 
some,  on  the  contrary,  were  so  fair  and 
soft,  that  they  were  more  beautiful  to 
look  upon  than  the  surrounding  light ; 
some  fell  fixed  and  steadfast,  some  faint 
and  wavering;  some  fell  in  clusters,  and 
some    alone.       There  was    also    a  very 

B2 


20  SHADOW  OF    THE    CROSS. 

great  difference  in  the  way  in  which 
the  children  held  their  crosses  :  some 
merely  raised  them  on  high,  and  then 
walked  quietly  wherever  the  shadow 
fell  ;  some  kept  twisting  them  back- 
wards and  forwards,  as  though  it  were 
a  work  of  much  difficulty  to  form  the 
shadow ;  and  some,  methought,  even 
when  the  image  was  most  distinct,  were 
unable  to  see  it.  Many,  too,  there 
were  who  hid  their  crosses,  and  only 
used  them  now  and  then,  and  I  knew 
that  those  poor  children  were  in  conti- 
nual danger ;  and  some,  too,  had  thrown 
them  away  altogether,  and  I  feared  that 
they  would  be  lost.  At  length  my  eye 
grew  weary  with  the  confusion  of  the 
scene,  and  I  resolved  to  fix  it  steadily 
on    some    one    child,   and   to   watch   its 


SHADOW  OF    THE    CROSS. 


21 


progress  through  the  garden.  One  little 
girl  there  was  amidst  a  group  of  chil- 
dren, with  features  so  pure  and  lovely, 
that,  when  she   had  once  attracted  my 


CSe<% 


attention,  I  could  easily  distinguish  her 
from  the  rest.  The  name  of  "  Inno- 
cence "  was  written  on  her  forehead  ; 
and,  from  the  whiteness  of  her  gar- 
ments,   I    thought   that    she    must   have 


22  SHADOW  OF    THE    CROSS. 

entered  very  lately  into  the  garden.  I 
watched  her  as  she  played  with  her 
companions  in  the  fields,  and  I  loved 
to  see  her  stop  with  them  to  taste  the 
fruits  or  gather  the  flowers  by  the  way; 
for  I  observed  that  she  chose  not  the 
greenest  paths,  nor  the  ripest  fruits,  nor 
the  fairest  flowers,  but  only  those  on 
which  the  image  of  her  cross  was  seen. 
Nay,  neither  fruit  nor  flower  seemed  to 
have  any  charms  for  her,  unless  the 
cross  had  thrown  its  shadow  there ;  and 
I  wondered  not  that  it  was  so,  for  the 
more  I  gazed,  the  more  soft  and  beau- 
tiful seemed  the  outline  that  it  traced. 
The  child  was  always  happy ;  her  sole 
pleasure  was  in  her  little  cross  and 
the  shadows  it  formed ;  fall  where  they 
would,  she  was  sure  to  follow  them.     I 


SHADOW   OF    THE    CROSS.  23 

saw,  too,  that  she  taught  her  friends  to 
seek  the  shadows  also,  and  when  the 
mark  of  her  cross  and  theirs  might  be 
discerned  on  the  same  object,  then  was 
she  happiest  of  all. 

And  as  I  gazed,  behold  !  a  snow- 
white  dove  was  resting  on  the  cross, 
and  the  form  of  the  little  one  began 
already  to  fade  from  my  view ;  her  fea,- 
tures  became  less  bright,  though  not 
less  pure,  than  thev  were  before,  and 
I  knew  that  young  Innocence,  with  her 
garments  still  white,  was  passing  away 
from  the  garden.  In  a  little  while  her 
companions  were  weeping,  and  the  child 
was  gone.  I  did  not  weep,  for  I  felt  she 
nad  been  taken  away  to  that  brighter 
and  happier  land  of  which  the  Voice  had 
spoken  ;  yet  long  after  we   had  ceased 


24  SHADOW   OF   THE   CROSS. 

to  see  her,  I  fancied  she  was  still  present 
in  the  garden,  and,  as  she  had  been 
wont  to  do,  was  holding  her  little  cross 
in  the  light  of  the  sun ;  for  its  shadow 
continued  to  play  around  all  the  objects 
she  had  loved ;  I  could  trace  it  not  only 
on  the  faces  of  her  friends,  but  on  the 
flowers  she  had  gathered,  and  the  very 
pathways  she  had  trod.  I  observed, 
too,  that  these  images  became  brighter 
and  more  distinct  from  the  tears  that 
fell  upon  them,  and  images  from  other 
crosses  kept  clustering  around  them,  and 
I  thought,  if  the  beautiful  child  were 
indeed  still  looking  on  the  garden,  how 
happy  she  must  be  that  the  crosses  of 
those  who  wept  for  her  were  thus  blend- 
ed with  her  own. 


CHAPTER   II 

When  with,  dear  friends  sweet  talk  I   hold. 
And  all  the  flowers  of  life  unfold  ; 
Let  not  my  heart  within  me  burn 
Except  in   all  I  Thee  discern 


hen  Innocence 
had  thus  early 
been  called  a- 
way  from  the 
garden,  I  se- 
lected one  of  the 
little  group  of 
mourners,  whom 
He  was  a 
very  beautiful  boy,  and  had  been  one 
of   the    favourite    friends   of   Innocence, 


H.HMIUND  "      "  '^»i 

1  next  resolved   to  watch 


26  SHADOW  OF   THE    CROSS. 

and  when  I  first  observed  him,  was  cry- 
ing bitterly  for  his  loss.  But  he  soon 
dried  his  tears,  and  as  I  looked  on  his 
clear  and  open  forehead,  the  name  of 
"Mirth"  was  written  there.  Long  after 
he  had  ceased  weeping,  I  could  see  that 
he  had  not  forgotten  his  companion,  for 
he  continued  to  play  in  the  same  field  in 
which  Innocence  had  left  him,  and  af- 
fection for  his  former  playmate  ever  led 
him  to  choose  those  flowers  on  which 
the  shadow  of  her  cross  was  lingering 
still. 

While  he  remained  there,  I  knew 
that  the  boy  was  safe  from  danger ;  but 
afterwards,  when  he  began  to  wander 
to  other  parts  of  the  garden,  I  grew 
alarmed  lest  some  evil  might  befal  him; 
for,   though    he  grasped    his    own   cross 


SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS.  27 

firmly  in  his  hand,  so  quick  and  lively 
was  his  step,  that  I  feared  he  might 
soon  be  tempted  to  move  beyond  its 
shadow.  However,  I  was  beginning  to 
hope  there  was  no  good  reason  for  my 
alarm  ;  for,  though  he  gathered  more 
abundantly  than  Innocence  had  done 
of  the  flowers  that  were  by  the  way,  J 
observed  that  he  never  touched  them 
until  the  shadow  of  his  cross  had  rested 
upon  them  ;  and  if  there  were  any  on 
which  it  did  not  fall,  he  passed  them 
by.  But  before  long  it  seemed  that  his 
eye  was  attracted  by  a  beautiful  bed  of 
roses  and  violets  that  grew  on  a  little 
hill,  at  the  foot  of  which  he  was  walk- 
ing :  I  saw  him  hold  his  cross  for  a 
moment  between  tnem  and  the  sun,  and 
he  quite  laughed  for  joy  as  he  caught  a 


28  SHADOW   OF    THE    CROSS. 

glimpse  of  its  shadow  there  ;  he  bound- 
ed lightly  forward,  and,  intending  to 
gather  a  lovely  nosegay,  began  in  haste 
to  scramble  up  the  hill.  Now,  this  I 
perceived  with  sorrow,  for  I  was  afraid 
the  little  fellow  had  not  observed  that 
there  were  many  roses  there  on  which 
no  part  of  the  shadow  fell ;  and  I  feared 
lest  in  his  eagerness  he  should  seize  one 
of  them,  and,  by  doing  so,  I  knew  not 
what  risk  he  might  incur.  There  was 
good  cause  for  my  fear.  The  child, 
breathless  with  his  scramble  up  the  hill, 
stretched  out  his  hand  and  plucked  the 
finest  rose  that  he  saw ;  it  was  one  of 
those  on  which  no  shadow  had  fallen, 
and  he  had  scarce  held  it  a  moment, 
when  a  wasp,  that  had  concealed  itself 
among  the  leaves,  crawled  out  and  stung 


SHADOW  OF    THE    CROSS.  29 

him  on  the  finger :  the  poor  boy  scream- 
ed with  pain,  for  the  sting  of  the  wasp 
was  unlike  any  thing  he  had  felt  before. 
He  hastily  dashed  the  flower  on  the 
ground  ;  but  one  leaf,  I  observed,  was 
blown  back  by  the  wind,  and  rested 
on  his  clothes  :  Mirth  saw  it  also,  and 
brushed  it  away ;  but,  when  it  was 
gone,  there  was  a  stain  on  those  gar- 
ments which  had  been  so  white  before. 
It  was  but  a  very  little  spot,  and,  as 
the  tears  trickled  down  upon  it,  grew 
so  faint,  that  it  could  hardly  be  dis- 
cerned at  all  ;  but  still  the  spot  was 
there.  The  smart,  however,  that  the 
sting  caused  was  of  no  long  continu- 
ance, and  in  a  short  time  little  Mirth 
was  going  merrily  on  his  way,  as  though 
no  accident  had  happened. 


30  SHADOW  OF    THE    CROSS. 

By  and  by,  as  he  was  walking  by  a 
bright  path  across  a  field,  one  of  his 
former  companions  perceived  him,  and 
ran  over  the  green  to  meet  him  :  I  could 
see  that  he  shook  Mirth  warmly  by  the 
hand,  and  persuaded  him  that  for  a  lit- 
tle while  they  should  amuse  themselves 
together.  But  I  was  grieved  that  the 
friend  of  Innocence  should  join  company 
with  the  child,  for  there  was  many  a  soil 
on  his  white  garments,  and  there  was 
no  cross  in  his  hand,  and  the  name  of 
"Wayward"  was  written  on  his  brow. 
I  thought,  too,  that  Mirth  looked  shock- 
ed when  first  he  met  him,  and  I  heard 
him  ask  after  his  cross ;  but  Wayward 
laughed,  and  told  him  it  was  so  trou- 
blesome to  keep  it  always  in  his  hand, 
that   he   now   carried    it   in   his   clothes. 


SHADOW  OF   THE    CROSS.  31 

He  said,  however,  that  he  never  forgot 
to  take  it  out  when  there  were  any  dif- 
ficulties in  the  way  ;  but  in  the  green 
fields  and  smooth  paths  he  needed  not 
its  shadow. 

Now,  methought,  the  stains  on  his 
clothes  proved  that,  without  the  cross, 
neither  the  greenest  fields  nor  the 
smoothest  paths  were  safe  ;  but  it  would 
seem  that  Mirth  did  not  observe  them, 
for  his  mind  appeared  at  ease,  when 
he  found  Wayward  had  not  thrown 
away  the  cross  ;  and  the  two  boys  walk- 
ed on  together.  Little  Mirth  still,  how- 
ever, kept  his  own  cross  in  his  hand, 
and  its  shadow  ever  fell  clear  and  dis- 
tinct on  the  bright  path  he  trod ;  while 
Wayward  walked  heedlessly  along  the 
soft  turf  by  his  side,  and  laughed  at  the 


32  SHADOW  OF    THE    CROSS. 

caution  of  his  companion.  Bat  I  soon 
observed  that  Mirth  was  growing  weary 
of  the  narrow  way,  and  tired  of  placing 
his  footsteps  exactly  in  the  print  of  the 
cross,  and  that  by  little  and  little  he 
deviated  from  it ;  he  ventured  first  close 
by  the  side  of  the  grass,  and  then  just 
to  tread  on  its  edge,  and  so  he  walked 
nearer  to  his  companion.  Now  they 
had  not  gone  far,  when,  at  the  point 
where  the  turf  looked  most  soft  and  in- 
viting, they  fell  into  swampy  ground, 
and  in  an  instant  the  green  miry  water 
rose  above  their  ankles.  Poor  Mirth, 
directly  he  felt  it,  leaped  back  upon 
the  road,  for  it  was  at  no  great  distance  ; 
but  before  he  could  reach  it  his  gar- 
ments were  already  splashed,  and  there 
was   a  sad    shade  of  green  all   around 


SHADOW   OF    THE    CROSS.  33 

their  border.  Wayward  fell  deeper  into 
the  marsh  than  Mirth,  because  he  had 
been  walking  farther  from  the  path  ; 
but,  when  he  had  forced  his  way  out, 
he  treated  his  misfortune  lightly,  and 
scarce  stopped  a  moment  to  wipe  the 
dirt  from  his  clothes ;  nor  did  I  wonder 
at  this,  for  they  were  so  stained  before, 
that  the  splashes  of  the  green  mud  could 
hardly  be  seen  on  them  at  all ;  but  it 
made  me  feel  the  more  pity  for  Mirth, 
as  he  looked  sadly  at  his  own  stains  ; 
and  I  thought  how  foolish  a  thing  it 
was,  for  a  child,  still  clad  in  raiment  of 
white-,  to  walk  with  one  whose  garments 
were  so  denied. 

It  seemed,  however,  that  Mirth 
thought  not  of  that,  for  he  still  al- 
lowed   Wayward    to    accompany    him ; 


34  SHADOW  OF    THE    CROSS. 

nay,  in  a  little  while  I  almost  fancied 
he  began  to  look  discontented  at  the 
whiteness  of  his  clothes,  for  the  fear 
of  spoiling  them  often  forced  him  to 
pick  his  way  over  stones  with  care, 
while  his  companion  could  walk  heed- 
lessly through  the  mud.  Alas  !  if  it 
were  so,  the  silly  child  had  not  much 
longer  such  cause  for  discontent ;  for 
a  beautiful  butterfly  in  a  neighbouring 
field  caught  the  attention  of  Wayward, 
and  in  a  moment  away  he  ran,  calling 
to  his  companion  to  follow ;  and  I  saw 
that,  for  the  first  time,  Mirth  joined 
in  the  pursuit  without  consulting  his 
cross.  Now,  I  have  no  doubt  the  boys 
thought  they  would  have  to  go  but  a 
very  little  way  before  they  gained  pos- 
session of  their  prize, — for  I  too  fancied 


SHADOW   OF    THE    CROSS. 


35 


so  at  first ;  but,  as  they  came  near,  the 
butterfly  opened  its  bright  wings  to  the 
sun,  and  fluttered  away,  settling  first  on 
one  flower,  then  on  another,  and   ever, 


as  the  children  stretched  out  their  hands 
to  take  it,  just  eluded  their  grasp.  A 
long  and  wearisome  chase  it  led  them 
in  the  end.  At  first  they  went  merrily 
through    the    green    fields  ;     but    after- 


36  SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS. 

wards,  as  they  grew  more  eager  in  the 
pursuit,  and  the  bright  butterfly  tempted 
them  on,  they  climbed  steep  hills,  and 
scrambled  down  into  the  valleys  be- 
neath ;  they  ran  through  brooks,  leaped 
over  ditches,  and  broke  through  hedges 
in  their  way,  and  yet  the  provoking 
insect  was  no  nearer  than  before.  And 
I  said,  "  Oh  that  Mirth  had  tried  whe- 
ther the  shadow  of  his  cross  would  rest 
on  its  glittering  wings,  before  he  began 
thus  hastily  to  follow  it !"  for  many  a 
splash  of  mud  had  fallen  upon  him  in 
the  eagerness  of  the  pursuit,  and  his 
little  hands  were  so  scratched  with 
thorns,  that  in  some  parts  thev  had 
sprinkled  his  clothes  with  blood. 

At    length    they    came    to    a    smooth 
grassy   plain,    at    the    border   of  which 


SHADOW  OF    THE    CROSS.  37 

was  a  lovely  grove  of  myrtles.  The 
butterfly  flew  high  in  the  air  towards 
the  distant  trees,  for  there  was  neither 
plant  nor  flower  in  the  plain  itself. 
Now,  I  observed  that  Mirth  had  out- 
stripped Wayward  in  the  chase  ;  and 
as  he  ran  heedlessly  on,  gazing  upwards 
towards  the  butterfly,  his  foot  struck 
against  a  stone  concealed  in  the  long 
grass,  and  he  was  thrown  violently  to 
the  ground.  The  careless  child  was  well 
nigh  stunned  by  the  fall ;  and  when  he 
recovered  his  feet,  he  trembled  exceed- 
ingly, and  the  mark  of  the  green  grass 
was  deeply  imprinted  on  his  clothes ; 
yet  I  was  glad  that  the  accident  made 
him  grasp  his  little  cross,  which  before 
he  had  well  nigh  forgotten,  the  more 
firmly  in  his  hand.      Just  as  his  com- 


38  SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS. 

panion  joined  him,  he  held  it  thought- 
fully towards  the  sun  ;  and  when  he 
saw  that  its  image  was  not  reflected 
on  the  wood,  but  on  a  hard  dull  path, 
Leading  in  an  opposite  direction,  he  at 
once  turned  aside  from  the  beautiful 
butterfly  which  he  had  so  long  been 
following. 

Wayward,  too,  seemed  a  little  fright- 
ened by  his  companion's  fall,  for  he  also 
took  out  his  cross  ;  and  when  its  dim 
shadow  fell  on  the  same  hard,  dull  path, 
he  too  relinquished  the  pursuit  of  the 
butterfly,  and  accompanied  Mirth.  So 
the  two  boys  walked  on,  sadly  and 
silently,  together  ;  but  Mirth  limped  a 
little  as  he  went,  from  the  pain  of  his 
fall.  Very  glad  I  was  that  they  had 
not  ventured    to    enter    the   wood ;    for, 


SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS.  39 

though  they  saw  them  not,  I  could  see 
the  bright  eyes  of  a  serpent  gleaming 
from  beneath  the  myrtle  on  which  the 
butterfly  was  resting.  He  seemed  to  be 
waiting  anxiously  for  the  approach  of 
the  children,  and  1  doubt  not  there  was 
poison  in  his  fang. 

Now,  I  have  said  that  the  road  by 
which  Mirth  and  Wayward  left  the 
grove  of  myrtles  was  dull  and  hard  ; 
for  I  had  by  this  time  discovered  that, 
soft  and  beautiful  as  every  thing  looked 
in  the  distance,  there  were  not  only 
some  paths  in  the  garden  deceitful  and 
dangerous,  but  others  hard  and  dull.  It 
led  them  by  many  a  withered  leaf  and 
faded  flower ;  and  each  leaf  and  flower 
was  watered  by  the  tears  of  Mirth,  for 
his    eyes    were    ever    fixed    downward 


40  SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS. 

upon  the  ground  :  he  was  as  one  who 
was  unconscious  whither  he  was  walk- 
ing, and  whose  only  care  was  so  to 
measure  each  step  that  it  might  fall 
exactly  in  the  shadow  before  him. 
Wayward,  too,  for  a  little  while,  look- 
ed downward  also,  and  step  by  step 
trod  in  the  same  path  with  his  com- 
panion :  but,  when  they  ha.d  gone  on 
for  some  time  in  safety,  from  the  force 
of  habit  he  left  off  carrying  his  cross 
in  his  hand,  and  concealed  it  as  he  had 
done  before  ;  and  then  he  soon  grew 
weary  of  the  dullness  of  the  road,  and 
longed  to  turn  aside  to  some  of  the 
pleasant  paths  on  the  right  hand  or  on 
the  left.  He  appeared  to  me,  however, 
to  be  half  afraid  of  wandering  alone ; 
for  I  heard  him  coaxing  Mirth  to  leave 


SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS.  41 

off  watching  those  gloomy  images,  and 
to  come  and  join  with  him  in  some 
merry  game,  saying  that,  by  doing  so, 
he  would  the  sooner  forget  the  effects 
of  his  fall.  But  Mirth  still  walked  on 
in  the  same  disconsolate  way,  with  his 
eyes  fixed  upon  the  ground.  His  heart 
was  then  indeed  too  full  of  heaviness 
to  suffer  him  to  think  of  play  at  all ; 
yet,  perhaps,  he  might  not  have  been 
able  tg  resist  very  long  the  entreaties 
of  Wayward,  had  it  not  so  happened 
that  the  boys  did  not  much  further 
continue  their  walk  together. 

A  sudden  turn  in  the  dull  road 
brought  them  to  one  of  those  fields 
over  which  in  happier  times  Mirth  had 
often  loved  to  ramble  with  Innocence  ; 
and  the  shadow  of  his  cross  rested  full 


42  SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS. 

on  a  faded  lily,  which  had  been  sown 
and  watered  by  the  hands  of  his  for- 
mer friend.  Here  the  poor  little  fellow 
paused,  and  sobbed  as  though  his  very 
heart  would  break.  I  too  felt  very  sor- 
rowful ;  for  my  mind  went  back  to  the 
lovely  scene  when  the  two  children  had 
been  playing  together  in  the  garden, 
and  Mirth  had  been  taught  by  Inno- 
cence to  find  pleasure  in  the  cross.  I 
remembered  how  happy  they  had  both 
looked  in  their  shining  raiment  of  white, 
and  how  beautiful  were  the  first  holy 
images  which  fell  on  the  objects  around 
them ;  and,  above  all,  I  recollected  the 
hour  when  the  dove  had  settled  so 
peacefully  on  the  cross  of  her  who  was 
taken,  while  she  was  fading  from  my 
view :    and  then,  as   I  gazed  upon  the 


SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS.  43 

one  who  had  been  left,  and  saw  how 
his  garments  since  then  had  been  stain- 
ed by  many  a  dark  and  filthy  spot,  the 
bitter  thought  came  upon  me,  whether, 
if  his  friend  still  looked  upon  the  gar- 
den, she  would  recognise  him  now,  and 
whether,  if  Mirth  were  called  away, 
he  would  be  received  in  that  better 
country  to  which  Innocence  was  gone. 
Such  thoughts,  also,  seemed  to  force 
themselves  on  the  mind  of  Mirth  ;  for 
he  knelt  down  by  the  lily  to  which  the 
shadow  had  led  him,  and,  as  the  tears 
chased  each  other  down  his  cheeks,  and 
fell  on  the  stains,  I  could  hear  him 
murmur,  "  Oh,  purge  me  with  hyssop, 
and  I  shall  be  clean ;  wash  me,  and 
I  shall  be  whiter  than  snow  !"  Then 
I  knew  he  was   speaking   to   the   kind 


44  SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS. 

Father,  who  was  ever  present  among 
His  children  in  the  garden  ;  and  I  re- 
membered how  the  Voice  had  told  me 
that  there  were  means  by  which  the 
sight  and  strength  of  the  children  might 
be  renewed.  Presently  I  saw  him  bend 
low  and  gaze  earnestly  on  the  faded 
flower ;  and  while  the  big  tear  fell  upon 
it,  methought  that  his  eye  became  less 
dim,  and  there  was  a  gleam  of  hope 
and  gladness  on  his  face,  as  though  he 
could  again  trace  upon  the  leaves  the 
light  and  lovely  outline  of  the  cross  of 
Innocence.  Then  I  also,  in  the  midst 
of  my  sorrow,  was  glad ;  and  I  felt  that 
Mirth  was  really  happier  as  he  wept 
over  the  lily  of  his  friend,  than  he  had 
been  while,  in  the  thoughtlessness  of 
his  heart,   he  was  chasing   the  painted 


SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS.  45 

butterfly  on  the  green.  Moreover,  as 
I  watched  him,  I  saw  him  kiss  his  little 
cross  and  press  it  to  his  heart ;  and  I 
wondered  not  that  he  did  so,  for  I  knew 
it  was  that  little  cross,  and  that  alone, 
which  had  freed  him  from  all  his  perils  ; 
for,  without  it,  he  must  have  been  bitten 
by  the  serpent  in  the  myrtle  grove ;  and 
had  he  not  trod  in  its  shadow  along 
the  hard  dull  road,  he  would  not  have 
been  guided  to  the  flower  of  Innocence 
at  last. 


CHAPTER   III 

But  if,  indeed,  with  reckless  faith 
We  trust  the  flattering  voice, 
Which  whispers,     '  Take  thy  fill  ere  death. 
Indulge  thee  and  rejoice-" 

Too  surely,   every  setting  day, 
Some  lost  delight  we  mourn , 

The  flowers  all  die  along  our  way. 
Till  we,  too,  die  forlorn 


he  tears  were 
fast  rising  in 
my  eyes  as  I 
turned  them  a- 
way  from  the 
kneeling  child, 
so  affecting  was 
the    scene  ;    but 


SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS.  47 

for  the  present  I  watched  him  no  more, 
for  about  him  my  mind  was  now  at 
rest  ;  but  I  felt  fearfully  anxious  to 
trace  the  course  of  his  companion  who 
neglected  the  cross.  Wayward  had  not 
seen  the  shadow  resting  on  the  flower, 
but  had  walked  carelessly  through  the 
field  ;  otherwise  his  thoughts  also  might 
have  gone  back  to  the  time  when  he 
played  with  Innocence,  and  he  would 
perhaps  have  wept  together  with  his 
companion.  He  had  advanced  some 
distance  before  he  observed  that  Mirth 
had  ceased  to  accompany  him  ;  but  as 
soon  as  he  perceived  it  he  was  alarm- 
ed to  find  himself  alone  ;  for,  though 
he  cared  but  little  for  the  cross  him- 
self, he  had  felt  some  sort  of  safety 
from  being  near  to  one  who  trod  within 


48  SHADOW  OF    THE    CROSS. 

its  shadow.  He  first  looked  anxiously 
around,  and  then  in  a  hurried  mannei 
began  to  retrace  his  steps.  I  had  no 
doubt  that  his  intention  was  to  rejoin 
his  companion ;  but,  short  as  was  the 
distance  back,  in  his  haste  he  managed 
to  lose  the  way,  and  got  into  a  path 
that  led  him  farther  and  farther  from 
the  field  in  which  Mirth  was  kneeling. 
I  could  plainly  hear  his  companion's 
voice  calling  to  him  to  return,  and  I 
saw  that  Wayward  heard  it  also,  for 
he  continually  paused  and  listened,  as 
though  he  wished  to  ascertain  .the  di- 
rection of  the  distant  sound.  And  then 
the  unhappy  boy  would  shout  loudly  in 
reply,  and  turning  to  the  right  hand  or 
the  left,  begin  to  hurry  along  some  new 
track ;    but   each   time    that   he   started 


SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS.  49 

again,  he  made  some  fresh  error  in  the 
way,  and  as  I  watched  him  I  knew 
that  it  would  be  so,  for  his  cross  was 
not  in  his  hand. 

In  a  little  time  he  had  got  quite  to  a 
different  part  of  the  garden  from  that  in 
which  he  had  parted  with  Mirth.  He 
saw  there  a  pretty  group  of  children, 
whom  he  was  very  anxious  to  join  ;  but 
they  were  frightened  when  they  ob- 
served that  he  had  no  cross,  and  one 
of  them  cried  out  that  his  dirty  hands 
would  soil  the  whiteness  of  their  gar- 
ments ;  so  they  refused  to  let  him  take 
part  in  their  play.  He  tried  one  or  two 
other  groups,  but  some  hurried  away  as 
he  approached,  and  others  shrunk  back 
from  his  touch,  until  at  last  he  found  a 
party  of  boys  who  had  no  crosses,  and 


50  SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS. 

whose  clothes  were  more  filthy  than 
his  own.  These  boys  welcomed  him 
gladly,  and  he  began  to  leap  and  run 
with  them.  They  all  laughed  loudly, 
and  tried  to  be  merry ;  but  no  shadow 
fell  on  the  ground  which  they  trod,  and 
they  soon  grew  weary  of  laughter  itself. 
So  their  game  terminated  in  a  quarrel, 
and  that  brought  on  blows,  which  added 
fresh  stains  to  the  clothes  of  these  un- 
naPPJ  children.  Even  Wayward  grew 
shocked  at  the  scene  which  he  now 
witnessed,  and,  hastening  away  from 
his  companions,  again  began  to  ramble 
through  the  garden  alone. 

He  now  seemed  to  be  wandering  to 
and  fro  without  any  object,  as  a  child 
that  was  blind  ;  but  I  saw  that  he 
plenteously  gathered  of  the  flowers,  and 


SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS.  51 

ate  of  the  fruits  that  he  found ;  and 
as  he  did  so  his  garments  became  more 
and  more  discoloured,  and  his  coun- 
tenance pale  and  sickly,  and  his  manner 
full  of  restlessness  and  languor,  so  that 
I  was  very  greatly  alarmed,  for  I  could 
not  but  remember  how  the  Voice  had 
said  that  there  was  poison  in  the  garden. 
I  saw,  too,  that  Wayward  had  become 
not  only  sickly  but  wretched  also ;  he 
no  longer  could  derive  enjoyment  from 
any  thing  he  tasted  or  touched,  but  was 
suspicious  of  them  all.  Sometimes  I 
thought  he  looked  anxiously  about  him 
for  the  shadow  of  the  cross  ;  and  yet, 
whether  it  were  from  indolence,  or  from 
the  force  of  habit,  or  from  some  fatal 
delusion,  I  cannot  tell,  but  the  cross 
itself  he  did  not  hold. 

D2 


=a 


52  SHADOW  OF    THE    CROSS. 

At  length  in  his  wanderings  he  came 
to  a  long  high  wall,  on  the  Western 
side  of  which  there  was  a  tree  loaded 
with  nectarines,  riper  and  more  beauti- 
ful than  any  he  had  before  seen.  Now, 
at  first  he  seemed  as  though  he  were 
going  to  turn  away,  for,  though  he  held 
not  his  cross,  he  knew  at  once  that  the 
bright  sun  shining  in  the  East  could 
shed  no  image  there  ;  and  yet  he  lin- 
gered and  looked  wistfully  at  the  fruit; 
and  as  he  looked  he  perceived  one  ga- 
thering from  the  tree,  whose  garments 
were  yet  white,  and  whose  cross  was 
in  her  hand.  I  also  looked  at  her  that 
gathered  the  fruit,  and  I  could  read 
the  name  of  "  Selfdeceit"  imprinted 
upon  her  brow  ;  and  I  saw  there  was 
something    foul    and    horrible    even    in 


SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS.  53 

the  very  whiteness  of  her  garments,  and 
that  wan  and  ghastly  were  the  images 
that  fell  from  her  cross.  Now,  I  be- 
gan to  wonder  how  those  images  were 
formed,  and  behold  !  there  gleamed  in 
the  air  behind  her  a  dark  blue  flame  ; 
then  I  discovered  that  there  were  false 
meteor  lights  in  the  garden  of  the  Sha- 
dow of  the  Cross :  doubtless  they  were 
placed  there  by  the  enemy  of  the  King, 
in  order  to  tempt  the  children  to  taste 
the  poisonous  fruits ;  but  I  shuddered 
exceedingly  when  I  saw  that  the  cross 
might  thus  be  converted  into  an  instru- 
ment of  destruction :  yet  so  unlike  were 
the  false  images  to  those  formed  by  the 
clear  and  brilliant  sun  in  the  East,  that 
they  could  deceive  none  but  the  eye 
that  had   been   long  a  stranger   to  the 


54  SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS. 

real  image,  and  the  heart  that  was 
anxious  to  believe  them  true.  Even 
Wayward,  as  he  drew  nigh,  trembled, 
and  felt  there  was  something  unnatural 
in  the  shadows  that  fell  on  the  Western 
wall ;  but  when  Selfdeceit  offered  him 
one  of  the  ripest  nectarines,  and  point- 
ed triumphantly  to  the  pale  outline  that 
might  be  traced  upon  it,  he  was  tempt- 
ed, and  he  took  it  and  did  eat.  While 
he  was  eating,  some  of  the  juice  oozed 
out  from  the  fruit  (for  it  was  very  ripe) 
and  fell  upon  his  clothes  :  it  marked 
them  with  a  stain  which,  though  they 
were  already  much  discoloured,  was 
of  a  deeper  crimson  than  any  I  had 
seen  before.  Wayward  threw  down  the 
remainder  of  the  nectarine,  and  was 
hastening    away,    but    Selfdeceit   called 


SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS.  55 

to  him  to  stop,  and  said  that  she  could 
very  easily  remove  the  stain.  So  Way- 
ward stopped,  and  Selfdeceit  took  a  sub- 
stance which  seemed  to  me  like  chalk, 
and  rubbed  it  over  the  spot  on  which 
the  juice  had  fallen,  and  not  that  spot 
only,  but  over  the  whole  of  the  gar- 
ments of  her  companion,  until  she  had 
produced  upon  them  the  same  foul  and 
horrible  whiteness  that  I  had  remarked 
upon  her  own.  When  it  was  done,  I 
thought  that  Wayward  tried  to  smile, 
as  though  he  again  were  clean ;  but  the 
smile  passed  away  in  a  sigh,  for  in  his 
inmost  heart  he  knew  that  the  stains 
were  hidden  but  not  removed,  and  that 
the  all-seeing  eye  of  his  Father  could 
perceive  them  still. 

Yet    he    did    not    fly   from    Selfdeceit 


56  SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS. 

as  he  ought  to  have  done,  but  still 
continued  in  her  company,  eating  the 
fruits  on  which  the  false  images  fell, 
and  allowing  the  treacherous  chalk  to 
be  rubbed  upon  his  clothes.  The  chil- 
dren did  not  walk  very  long  together ; 
but  during  that  time  the  appearance  of 
Wayward  became  so  altered,  that  be- 
fore they  parted  I  doubt  whether  Mirth 
could  have  recognised  him  again  :  the 
form  emaciated  by  disease,  the  feverish 
and  uncertain  step,  the  hectic  flush  on 
his  sallow  cheek,  and  the  wildness  in 
his  bloodshot  eye,  had  left  but  little  of 
the  gay,  though  careless,  child  who  had 
run  so  lightly  after  the  butterfly  on  the 
green.  Yet,  great  as  was  the  change  in 
his  appearance  owing  to  the  poison  on 
which    he   lived,    the   change   that    had 


SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS.  57 

taken  place  in  his  dress  was  greater 
still ;  for  his  garments  were  more  dis- 
guised by  the  strange  whiteness  caused 
by  the  chalk,  than  they  could  have  been 
by  the  darkest  stain.  He  was,  how- 
ever, fast  becoming  accustomed  to  its 
use,  for  it  was  astonishing  how  many 
accidents  befell  Wayward  and  Selfde- 
ceit  as  they  moved  along;  —  sometimes 
they  slipped,  and  rolled  into  the  mire  ; 
sometimes  they  were  tripped  up,  and  fell 
on  the  swampy  grass  ;  sometimes  they 
stained  themselves  with  fruit ;  some- 
times noxious  reptiles  would  crawl  over 
their  clothes ;  and  sometimes  foul  spots, 
as  in  a  leprosy,  would  suddenly  break 
out  upon  them,  without  any  cause  which 
they  could  discern  :  and  on  each  of 
these    occasions,   Selfdeceit  would   take 


58  SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS. 

out  her  chalk,  and  apply  it  to  her  com- 
panion's garments  and  her  own. 

In  this  wretched  way  they  kept  walk- 
ing side  by  side,  until  they  came  to 
the  borders  of  a  great  wood,  and  there 
Selfdeceit  bade  her  companion  go  first, 
saying  that  she  would  follow  ;  but 
Wayward  drew  back,  and  refused  to 
advance  farther  before  he  had  first  con- 
sulted his  cross.  I  do  not  know  why 
at  that  particular  moment  he  should 
have  paused  ;  it  may  be  that  it  merely 
proceeded  from  his  usual  dislike  to  go 
first ;  or  it  may  be  he  was  frightened 
by  a  deep  and  angry  sound,  even  as  the 
roaring  of  a  lion,  which  issued  from  the 
wood,  and  yet  his  ears  had  now  grown 
so  dull,  that  I  cannot  tell  whether  he 
heard   it  at  all  ;    and    I   think   it   most 


SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS.  59 

likely  that  he  only  delayed,  because  the 
scene  brought  back  to  his  memory  the 
hour  in  which  he  had  stood  with  Mirth, 
at  the  entrance  of  the  myrtle-grove, 
when  the  holy  image  had  warned  them 
both  to  turn  aside.  But  be  the  cause 
what  it  may,  he  stood  still,  and  drew 
his  long-neglected  cross  from  his  bosom. 
It  was,  indeed,  a  scene  that  caused 
my  heart  to  beat  high  with  interest. 
Wayward  was  standing  a  little  in  ad- 
vance of  Selfdeceit,  and  one  step  more 
would  have  brought  him  within  the  bor- 
ders of  the  wood ;  and,  as  he  raised  his 
cross  with  a  trembling  hand,  I  could 
see  a  smile  of  mockery  pass  over  the 
countenance  of  his  companion.  In  a 
moment  the  meteor  lights  were  flicker- 
ing in  the  air  around  them,  and  a  crowd 


60  SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS. 

of  confused  and  ghastly  shadows  fell  at 
the  feet  of  the  bewildered  boy.  He  had 
suffered  his  eyes  to  become  so  very  dim, 
that  it  was  in  vain  he  now  endeavoured 
to  distinguish  the  true  image  from  the 
false  :  but  I  observed  that  from  that 
very  uncertainty  he  hesitated  whether 
to  advance  ;  and  I  believe  at  last  he 
would  have  turned  aside,  had  not  Self- 
deceit  with  her  own  hand  lighted  a 
torch  behind  him,  which  threw  one 
long  deep  shadow  in  the  direction  of 
the  forest.  Then  Wayward  ventured 
to  move  forward ;  but  scarce  had  he 
made  the  first  step,  when  there  was  a 
laugh  as  of  fiends  in  the  air,  and  be- 
hold !  the  earth  opened  beneath  the 
feet  of  Selfdeceit,  and  she  and  her 
flaming  torch  and  her  whited  garments 


SHADOW   OF    THE    CROSS. 


61 


were  swallowed  up,  and  I  saw  them  no 
more.  Together  with  the  light  which 
had  caused  it,  the  long  deep  shadow 
also  passed  away,  and  Wayward  once 


more  looked  round  him  in  doubt  ;  he 
then  saw  the  fate  of  his  companion,  and 
uttered  a  shrill  and  piercing  cry,  and, 
in  his  alarm  dropping  the  cross  out 
of  his    hand,    he    ran    hastily    from    the 


62  SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS. 

wood.  But  now,  alas  !  it  was  too  late 
for  flight ;  the  lion,  that  had  lain  in 
wait  for  him  there,  had  already  made 
his  fatal  spring  :  he  seized  on  his  prey 
and  pulled  him  down  upon  the  ground, 
and  in  a  moment  was  griping  with  his 
savage  teeth,  and  tearing  to  pieces  with 
his  claws,  the  companion  of  Selfdeceit. 


CHAPTER  IV 


Refreah  us,  Lord,  to  hold  it  fast , 
And  when  Thy  veil  is  drawn  at  last, 
Let  us  depart  where  shadows  cease, 
With  words  of  "blessing  and  of  peace. 

had  already  be- 
gun to  mourn 
for  Wayward, 
as  for  one  who 
was  lost  ;  for, 
even  had  he 
been  in  health 
and  vigour,  his 
strength  would  have  been  but  weakness 
against  the  ferocious  animal  that  was 
devouring    him    now  ;    but    sickly    and 


64  SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS. 

powerless  as  he  had  been  rendered  by 
disease,  save  by  his  fearful  shrieks  he 
could  offer  no  resistance  at  all.  His 
cries  for  help  were  becoming  fainter  and 
fainter,  when  behold  !  there  came  forth 
from  the  forest  a  fair  and  gentle  girl ; 
her  garments  were  almost  of  a  spotless 
white,  and  yet  methought  she  seemed 
as  though  she  had  been  long  in  the 
garden,  and  the  name  of  "  Charity"  was 
written  on  her  brow.  And  I  wondered 
at  first  how  she  could  have  wandered 
through  that  gloomy  forest  alone,  and 
I  was  alarmed  lest  the  lion  that  was 
tearing  Wayward  might  turn  his  fury 
upon  her ;  but  I  soon  found  there  was 
cause  neither  for  wonder  nor  alarm,  for 
her  cross  was  in  her  hand.  The  sha- 
dow  fell   full    on    the    forehead   of    the 


SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS.  65 

savage  beast,  and  with  a  low  sullen 
growl  he  forsook  his  prey,  and  crouched 
in  servile  fear  before  the  little  child. 
His  eyes  glared  horribly  as  he  turned 
back,  and  he  kept  moving  his  head  to 
and  fro,  as  though  he  fain  would  have 
shaken  off  the  holy  image  ;  but  his 
struggles  to  resist  its  influence  were  all 
in  vain,  and  step  by  step  he  was  forced 
to  shrink  away,  and  hide  himself  in  the 
darkness  of  the  forest.  Then  did  Cha- 
rity draw  nigh  to  the  faint  and  bleeding 
boy,  and  bandage  his  mangled  limbs, 
and  stanch  the  blood  that  was  gushing 
copiously  from  the  wounds ;  and,  as  she 
did  so,  the  purple  stream  that  flowed 
upon  her  garments  of  white,  left  no 
stain  upon  them,  but  only  made  them 
brighter  than  before. 


66  SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS. 

Wayward  had  had  a  very  narrow 
escape  from  destruction,  and  it  was  a 
long  time  before  he  so  far  came  to  him- 
self as  to  be  able  to  stand  up.  I  cannot 
tell  what  fearful  dreams  he  may  have 
had  while  he  was  lying  prostrate  on  the 
ground  ;  but  the  moment  that  he  arose, 
his  first  thought  was  of  his  cross  :  he 
felt  for  it  in  his  bosom,  but  he  found 
that  it  was  not  there  ;  and  I  shall 
not  easily  forget  the  look  of  anguish 
and  despair  that  was  on  his  face  when 
he  remembered  he  had  let  it  fall.  He 
threw  himself  down  on  the  ground,  and 
searched  very  anxiously  for  the  treasure 
he  had  neglected  so  long ;  but  his  head 
swam  and  his  sight  was  dizzy,  and  he 
looked  for  it  in  vain.  Nay,  it  had  fallen 
so  near  the  forest,   and  the  grass  was 


SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS.  67 

so  loiig,  and  the  bushes  so  numerous, 
that  there  was  little  hope  of  his  recover- 
ing it  again;  and  yet  he  now  felt  that, 
if  he  found  it  not,  he  himself  was  lost. 
He  told  Charity  of  his  sad  loss,  and 
with  tears  and  groans  besought  her  ear- 
nestly to  assist  him  in  the  search.  So 
Charity  raised  her  own  cross  on  high, 
and  the  dark  outline  fell  on  a  thick 
bush  of  furze  close  by  the  outskirts 
of  the  wood ;  it  was  there  that  the 
cross  of  Wayward  had  fallen,  and  she 
bade  the  boy  call  earnestly  on  his  gra- 
cious Father,  and  advance  with  a  good 
courage,  telling  him  that,  though  others 
might  point  out  where  it  was,  no  hand 
but  his  own  could  take  it  up.  Way- 
ward did  advance,  but  it  was  with  fear 
and  trembling;  he  often  raised  his  eyes 

E2 


68  SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS. 

timidly  towards  the  forest,  as  though 
he  was  afraid  lest  the  lion  might  seize 
upon  him  again  :  when,  too,  he  stood  by 
the  bush,  and  stretched  out  his  hand,  it 
was  sad  to  see  how  the  noxious  insects 
stung  him,  and  the  thorns  entered  into 
the  new-made  wounds ;  twice  in  anguish 
did  he  draw  it  back  ;  the  second  time 
that  he  did  so,  a  low  growl  was  heard 
issuing  from  the  wood,  and  then  in  haste 
he  thrust  his  hand  down  again,  regard- 
less of  the  pain,  and  seizing  on  his  lost 
treasure  hurried  back  to  the  side  of 
Charity. 

Now  I  rejoiced  greatly  that  Way- 
ward had  recovered  his  cross  ;  I  was 
glad,  too,  that  the  chalk  with  which 
Selfdeceit  had  bedaubed  his  clothes 
was  gone,  for  the  red  streams  of  blood 


SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS.  69 

had  washed  it  away.  Yet  still  was  I 
very  sorrowful  when  I  saw  how  fear- 
fully they  were  now  denied  ;  it  seemed 
that  whole  rivers  of  tears  would  be  un- 
able to  restore  to  them  any  portion  of 
their  original  whiteness,  and  I  could 
not  but  doubt  whether  poor  Wayward 
might  hereafter  be  recognised  as  the 
King's  child.  The  same  thoughts,  too, 
were  weighing  him  down,  for  he  groan- 
ed deeply  and  was  very  sorrowful ;  and 
then  I  heard  Charity  speaking  to  him 
of  the  tender  mercies  of  their  King  and 
Father,  and  telling  him  that,  if  only  he 
was  able  to  hold  steadfastly  for  the  time 
to  come  by  the  cross,  and  walk  care- 
fully in  its  shadow,  he  need  in  no  wise 
despair,  for,  though  his  own  tears  could 
not  cleanse  his  garments,  there  was  One 


70  SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS. 

who  might  wash  them  for  him  with  the 
water  of  life,  so  that,  though  they  were 
now  as  scarlet,  they  would  become  as 
white  as  snow,  though  they  were  red 
like  crimson,  they  should  be  as  wool. 
When  he  heard  this,  Wayward  look- 
ed down  upon  his  cross,  but  there  still 
was  very  much  of  sadness  in  his  gaze ; 
he  felt  in  truth  that  his  hand  was  too 
feeble  to  hold  it  steadfastly  for  the 
time  to  come,  and  his  eye  too  dim 
to  discern  its  shadow.  But  Charity 
again  addressed  him  with  words  of 
comfort ;  she  reminded  him  that  they 
were  not  alone  in  the  garden,  and  that 
there  were  means  by  which,  if  only  he 
would  be  diligent  in  employing  them, 
his  strength  and  his  sight  would  gradu- 
ally be  renewed ;  the  same  kind  Father, 


SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS.  71 

she  said,  "who  has  given  you  the  will 
and  the  power  to  recover  your  cross, 
can  render  it  once  more  the  guardian 
of  your  steps." 

Then  did  he  take  comfort,  and  while 
he  feebly  raised  his  cross,  methought 
that  he  earnestly  besought  his  Father 
to  restore  to  him  a  portion  of  his  former 
strength. 

For  some  little  while  Charity  walked 
by  his  side,  and  gently  holding  him  by 
the  hand,  guided  him  safely  through 
the  snares  and  stumbling-blocks  which 
beset  them  on  their  way.  But  before 
long  the  warning  shadows  bade  them 
proceed  along  different  paths,  that  of 
Charity  leading  her  through  a  smooth 
verdant  meadow,  that  of  Wayward  fall- 
ing  on   a   rough   uneven   ground,    close 


72 


SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS. 


to  the  border  of  the  wood.  So,  with 
many  a  parting  warning,  and  ever,  as 
she  went,  holding  on  high  the  sacred 
sign,  Charity  bade  adieu  to  Wayward, 


and  I  cannot  tell  that  she  ever  beheld 
him  again.  For  a  moment  I  watched 
her  light  graceful  form  as  she  passed 
through  the  pleasant  fields  :  it  was, 
indeed,  a  lovely  sight ;    the  long  grass 


SHADOW  OF   THE    CROSS.  73 

and  the  flowers  appeared  to  bend  as 
she  approached,  lest  they  might  stain 
the  hem  of  her  white  garments  ;  the 
little  lambs  would  come  to  lick  the 
hand  which  held  the  cross,  and  the 
birds  sung  more  tunefully  as  its  sha- 
dow fell  upon  them. 

But  I  turned  from  this  pleasing  pic- 
ture, for  I  was  anxious  to  know  what 
would  become  of  Wayward  now  he 
was  once  more  alone ;  he  too  had  been 
watching  the  retreating  form  of  Charity, 
and  the  tear  rose  in  his  eye  as  he  felt 
it  was  not  for  him  to  accompany  her 
along  the  ways  of  pleasantness  and 
peace.  He  began  his  solitary  journey, 
and  I  could  see  that  he  was  strug- 
gling hard  to  hold  firmly  by  the  cross, 
and   was   inwardly   resolving   to   follow 


74  SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS. 

the  advice  of  Charity.  But,  alas !  that 
which  might  have  been  sweet  and  easy 
once  had  become  a  task  of  much  la- 
bour and  difficulty  now ;  for  though  his 
Father  did  not  suffer  his  strength  or 
sight  altogether  to  fail,  he  was  allowed 
continually  to  feel  the  ill  effects  of  his 
former  wanderings.  His  arm  grew  faint 
and  weary  when  he  lifted  it  on  high ; 
and  his  cross  itself  would  at  one  time 
glow  with  a  burning  heat,  and  raise 
blisters  on  his  hand ;  and  at  another, 
would  become  cold  as  a  mass  of  ice, 
until  his  numbed  fingers  could  scarce 
retain  it  in  their  grasp.  Its  shadow, 
too,  no  longer  fell  on  fruits  or  on  flow- 
ers, nor  on  any  thing  desirable  to  the 
eye,  but  on  husks  and  withered  leaves, 
and  all  the  refuse  of  the  earth.     I  saw, 


SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS.  75 

also,  that  he  staggered  to  and  fro  as  he 
walked  along,  and  that,  from  his  very 
anxiety  to  place  his  footsteps  right,  he 
often  stumbled  and  well  nigh  fell,  and, 
by  the  continued  difficulties  of  the  path, 
he  was  brought  into  so  great  trouble 
and  misery,  that  he  went  mourning  all 
the  day  long.  How  strange  must  he 
now  have  thought  it,  that  there  had 
been  a  time  when  he  fancied  that  he 
could  walk  safely  without  the  aid  of 
his  cross  !  and  how  often  must  he  have 
wished  that  it  would  again  afford  him 
that  clear  and  distinct  shadow,  which 
it  was  wont  to  shed  when  first  he 
entered  the  garden  !  For  even  this 
comfort  was  denied  him  now.  The 
meteor  lights  which  he  had  allowed  to 
accompany  him  in  his  wanderings  with 


76  SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS. 

Selfdeceit  still  continued  to  hover  around 
him,  and  kept  throwing  their  deceitful 
shadows  on  secret  poisons  and  hidden 
snares  :  many  a  time  did  he  pause  long 
and  anxiously,  before  he  could  distin- 
guish between  the  true  image  and  the 
false,  and  often  had  he  reason  to  re- 
joice that  the  real  shadow  was  dark 
and  gloomy,  because  he  could  the  more 
easily  discern  it.  He  knew  also  that 
he  had  good  reason  to  be  alarmed,  for 
the  roar  of  the  lion  that  had  torn  him 
once  was  ever  sounding  in  his  ears ; 
and  each  time  that  he  hesitated,  he  fan- 
cied he  could  perceive  his  fierce  eyes 
glaring  upon  him  from  the  wood :  it 
seemed  as  though  the  beast,  having  once 
marked  him  for  his  own,  was  watching 
every  step  that  he  took,  and  ready  in  a 


SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS.  77 

moment  to  pounce  upon  his  prey.  At 
length  the  shadow  fell  upon  a  pathway- 
leading  directly  into  the  wood  ;  Way- 
ward gazed  doubtfully  upon  it  a  little 
while,  but,  when  he  saw  that  it  was  the 
true  image,  with  slow  and  trembling 
steps  he  contin  led  to  follow  it.  I  soon 
lost  sight  of  him  among  the  trees,  so 
that  I  cannot  tell  what  may  have  be- 
fallen him  there  ;  but  I  have  a  good 
hope  that  he  walked  in  safety  through 
all  its  dangers,  for,  though  his  garments 
were  stained  with  blood,  and  his  limbs 
were  faint,  and  his  eyes  dim,  and  though 
the  beasts  of  the  forests  were  howling 
around  him,  his  cross  was  in  his  hand. 
Still  I  was  not  sorry  that  I  could  no 
longer  watch  him,  for  it  had  become 
very  painful  to  me  to  trace  his  steps  ; 


78  SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS. 

not  only  was  there  trouble  in  each  path 
that  he  trod,  but  there  was  even  much 
to  render  me  sad  in  the  gloomy  shadows 
that  fell  frorn  his  cross  ;  so  I  suffered 
my  eye  to  wander  towards  the  more 
lovely  parts  of  the  garden,  in  hopes  that 
once  again  it  might  rest  upon  Mirth.  I 
soon  discovered  him  not  far  from  the 
field  in  which  Wayward  had  left  him; 
he  had  altered  very  little  since  then, 
except  that  the  cheerfulness  of  his  coun- 
tenance and  the  buoyancy  of  his  step 
had  returned.  He  was  holding  his  cross 
towards  the  sun,  and  his  face  beamed 
bright  with  gratitude  as  he  traced  its 
outline  on  the  flowers  strewed  in  his 
path.  The  shadows  were  not,  indeed, 
so  light  and  lovely  as  those  which  had 
fallen  from  the  cross  of  Innocence,  yet 


SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS.  79 

still  they  were  very  beautiful,  —  more 
beautiful  than  the  fairest  flowers  on 
which  they  fell.  The  garments  of 
Mirth  had  almost  recovered  their  white- 
ness, yet  they,  too,  were  not  so  bright 
and  shining  as  those  of  Innocence  had 
been  ;  nay,  I  fancied  I  could  yet  trace 
upon  them  the  dim  outline  of  each  for- 
mer stain,  not  only  the  deeper  marks 
that  had  been  caused  by  his  careless 
chase  with  Wayward,  but  even  the  first 
little  spot  that  the  falling  rose  leaf  had 
left.  The  marks  were  so  very  faint, 
that  while  the  shadow  of  the  cross  rest- 
ed upon  them  they  could  not  be  dis- 
cerned ;  but,  when  they  were  exposed 
to  the  clear  and  brilliant  light  of  the  sun, 
I  could  see  that  they  still  were  there. 
"Surely,  then,"   I    said   within  myself, 


^0  SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS. 

"  the  children  whose  garments  are  yet 
unsullied,  would  run  less  heedlessly,  if 
they  knew  that  their  early  stains  would 
continue  with  them  so  long  !"  Mirth 
was  happy  now,  but  he  would  have 
been  far  happier  if  he  had  never  left  the 
shadow  of  his  cross  ;  for  there  was  often 
a  momentary  expression  of  sadfless  on 
his  face,  when  some  gay  butterfly  with 
its  golden  wings  fluttered  across  his  path, 
and  brought  to  his  remembrance  his  for- 
mer wanderings.  Yet  were  his  garments 
so  white,  that  it  was  easy  to  recognise 
him  for  the  King's  child  ;  and  I  knew 
that  his  kind  Father  would  cleanse  them 
at  last  from  every  spot,  and  I  almost 
longed  for  the  time  when  the  white  dove 
might  settle  on  his  cross,  and  Mirth 
should  be  called  away  from  the  garden. 


SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS.  81 

Then  did  my  thoughts  wander  to  the 
land  to  which  Innocence  was  gone,  and 
I  said  in  my  heart,  how  glorious  must 
that  land  be  in  which  this  same  bright 
sun  is  shining,  while  all  the  children 
are  clad  in  raiment  of  a  dazzling  white- 
ness !  Tt  must  be  that  the  cross,  which 
is  their  safeguard  here,  will  there  be 
their  delight ;  they  will  love  for  ever  to 
watch  the  holy  shadows  ;  and  yet  will 
they  then  require  them  no  more,  for  in 
that  better  land  there  will  be  neither 
danger  in  the  fields,  nor  poison  in  the 
flowers. 

And  the  still  soft  Voice  replied :  "  In 
that  better  land  there  will  be  neither 
fields  nor  flowers  such  as  you  now  be- 
hold, for  the  grass  withereth,  and  the 
flower  fadeth,  but  there  will  be  nothing 


82  SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS. 

there  that  can  either  wither  or  fade.  In 
that  better  land  the  cross  will  indeed 
be  the  delight  of  the  children,  and  the 
bright  sun  will  be  reflected  on  their  gar- 
ments ot  dazzling  whiteness  ;  but,  when 
raised  on  high,  the  cross  will  cast  no 
shadow  there  ;  it  will  itself  shine  with 
exceeding  lustre,  the  rays  of  immortality 
will  be  shed  from  it,  and  all  things  will 
be  filled  with  light  and  gladness  by  its 
pure  and  living  fire." 

Now,  while  I  wondered  at  this,  and 
tried  to  picture  to  myself  a  land  lovely 
without  fields  or  flowers,  and  in  which 
the  cross  might  be  raised  towards  the 
sun  and  yet  no  shadow  be  discerned, 
behold  !  the  vision  of  the  fair  garden 
passed  away,  and  I  saw  no  more. 


rdJ 


&e*t0  from  golg  Scripture. 


The  fohowing  and  similar  passages  of  Scripture  may 
"be  impressed  on  the  minds  of  children,  by  point- 
ing out  their  connexion  with  the  different  parta 
of  the  Allegory. 


"  The  sun  of  righteousness  (shall) 
arise  with  healing  in  his  wings."1 

"  The  darkness  is  past,  and  the  true 
light  now  shineth."2 

"  That  was  the  true  light,  which 
lighteth  every  man  that  cometh  into 
the  world."3 

"  Ye    are    all    the    children    of   light, 

P3 


84  SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS. 

and  the  children  of  the  day ;  we  are  not 
of  the  night,  nor  of  darkness."4 

"  That  ye  should  show  forth  the 
praises  of  him,  who  hath  called  you  out 
of  darkness  into  his  marvellous  light."5 

"  Except  a  man  be  born  of  water, 
and  of  the  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  God."6 

"  The  like  figure  whereunto  even 
baptism  doth  also  now  save  us  (not 
the  putting  away  of  the  filth  of  the 
flesh,  but  the  answer  of  a  good  con- 
science towards  God)  by  the  resurrec- 
tion of  Jesus  Christ."7 

"  God  is  faithful,  who  will  not  suffer 
you  to  be  tempted  above  that  ye  are 
able ;  but  will,  with  the  temptation,  also 
make  a  way  to  escape,  that  ye  may  be 
able  to  bear  it."8 


SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS.  85 

"  The  Lord  is  their  strength,  and  he 
is  the  saving  strength  of  his  anointed."9 

"  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee :  for  my 
strength  is  made  perfect  in  weakness." 10 

"  When  that  which  is  perfect  is  come, 
then  that  which  is  in  part  shall  be  done 
away."11 

"  I  am  a  stranger  with  thee,  and  a 
sojourner,  as  all  my  fathers  were."12 

"  For  they  that  say  such  things,  de- 
clare plainly  that  they  seek  a  country." 13 

"But  now  they  desire  a  better  coun- 
try, that  is,  an  heavenly :  wherefore  God 
is  not  ashamed  to  be  called  their  God  : 
for  he  hath  prepared  for  them  a  city."14 

"  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  in- 
herit the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from 
the    foundation    of  the   world."15 

"  The  children  of  the  kingdom  shall  be 


86  SHADOW  OF   THE    CROSS. 

cast  out  into  outer  darkness ;  there  shall 
be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth."16 

"Trust  in  the  Lord  with  all  thine 
heart,  and  lean  not  unto  thine  own  un- 
derstanding. In  all  thy  ways  acknow- 
ledge him,  and  he  shall  direct  thy 
paths."17 

"  Her  ways  are  ways  of  pleasantness, 
and  all  her  paths  are  peace."18 

"  Yea,  though  I  walk  through  the 
valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  I  will 
fear  no  evil :  for  thou  art  with  me ;  thy 
rod  and  thy  staff,  they  comfort  me."19 

"  I  heard  a  voice  from  heaven,  say- 
ing unto  me,  ■  Write,  Blessed  are  the 
dead  which  die  in  the  Lord,  from 
henceforth.'"20 

"  But  I  would  not  have  you  to  be 
ignorant,     brethren,     concerning     them 


SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS.  87 

which    are    asleep,   that   ye   sorrow   not 
even  as  others  which  have  no  hope."21 


"  It  is  better  to  go  to  the  house  of 
mourning,  than  to  go  to  the  house  of 
feasting,  for  that  is  the  end  of  all  men, 
and  the  living  will  lay  it  to  his  heart. 
Sorrow  is  better  than  laughter,  for  by 
the  sadness  of  the  countenance  the 
heart  is  made  better."22 

"  Whom  the  Lord  loveth  he  chasten- 
eth,  and  scourgeth  every  son  whom  he 
receiveth."23 

"  Enter  not  into  the  path  of  the 
wicked,  and  go  not  into  the  way  of 
evil  men."24 

"  There  is  a  way  that  seemeth  right 


88  SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS. 

unto  a  man,  but  the  end  thereof  are 
the  ways  of  death."25 

"  As  for  me,  my  feet  were  almost 
gone,  my  steps  had  well  nigh  slipped  ; 
for  I  was  envious  at  the  foolish,  when 
I  saw  the  prosperity  of  the  wicked."26 

"  The  way  of  the  wicked  is  as  dark- 
ness ;  they  know  not  at  what  they  stum- 
ble."27 

"  Before  1  was  afflicted,  I  went  astray, 
but  now  have  I  kept  thy  word."28 

"  Let  thine  eyes  look  right  on,  and 
let  thine  eyelids  look  straight  before 
thee.  Ponder  the  path  of  thy  feet,  and 
let  all  thy  ways  be  established.  Turn 
not  to  the  right  hand,  nor  to  the  left : 
remove  thy  foot  from  evil."29 

"  Now  I  rejoice  not  that  ye  were 
made  sorry,  but  that  ye  sorrowed  to  re- 


SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS.  89 

pentance :  for  ye  were  made  sorry  after 
a  godly  manner,  that  ye  might  receive 
damage  by  us  in  nothing.  For  godly 
sorrow  worketh  repentance  to  salvation, 
not  to  be  repented  of:  but  the  sorrow 
of  the  world  worketh  death."30 

"  Blessed    are   they   that    mourn,    for 
they  shall  be  comforted."31 


"  A  double-minded  man  is  unstable 
in  all  his  ways."32 

So  they  did  eat  and  were  well  filled  ; 
for  he  gave  them  their  own  desire : 
they  were  not  estranged  from  their  lust. 
But  while  their  meat  was  yet  in  their 
mouths,  the  wrath  of  God  came  upon 
them."33 


90  SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS. 

"  Take  heed,  brethren,  lest  there  be 
in  any  of  you  an  evil  heart  of  unbelief 
in  departing  from  the  living  God.  But 
exhort  one  another  daily  while  it  is  call- 
ed to-day,  lest  any  of  you  be  hardened 
through  the  deceitfulness  of  sin."34 

"  In  whom  the  god  of  this  world  hath 
blinded  the  minds  of  them  which  believe 
not,  lest  the  light  of  the  glorious  gospel 
of  Christ,  who  is  the  image  of  God, 
should  shine  unto  them."35 

"  For  such  are  false  apostles,  deceitful 
workers,  transforming  themselves  into 
the  apostles  of  Christ.  And  no  marvel, 
for  Satan  himself  is  transformed  into  an 
angel  of  light."36 

"  Hypocrites  !  for  ye  are  like  unto 
whited  sepulchres,  which  indeed  appear 
beautiful   outward,   but    are  within  full 


SHADOW  OF   THE    CROSS.  91 

of  dead  men's  bones,  and  of  all  un- 
cleanness.  Even  so,  ye  also  outwardly 
appear  righteous  unto  men,  but  within, 
ye  are  full  of  hypocrisy  and  iniquity."37 

"  The  way  of  peace  they  know  not, 
and  there  is  no  judgment  in  their 
goings  :  they  have  made  them  crooked 
paths ;  whosoever  goeth  therein,  shall 
not  know  peace."38 

"  Woe  unto  them  that  call  evil  good, 
and  good  evil ;  that  put  darkness  for 
light,  and  light  for  darkness  ;  that  put 
bitter  for  sweet,  and  sweet  for  bitter."39 

"  For  many  walk  of  whom  I  have 
told  you  often,  arid  now  tell  you  even 
weeping,  that  they  are  the  enemies  of 
the  cross  of  Christ,  whose  end  is  de- 
struction."40 

"  When  your  fear  cometh  as  desolation, 


92  SHADOW  OF   THE    CROSS. 

and  your  destruction  cometh  as  a  whirl 
wind,  when  distress  and  anguish  cometh 
upon  you,  then  shall  they  call  upon  me, 
but  I  will  not  answer :  they  shall  seek 
me  early,  but  they  shall  not  find  me."  41 
"  Then  shall  two  be  in  the  field ;  the 
one  shall  be  taken,  and  the  other  left."42 


"  To  the  Lord  our  God  belong  mer- 
cies and  forgivenesses,  though  we  have 
rebelled  against  him  ;  neither  have  we 
obeyed  the  voice  of  the  Lord  our  God, 
to  walk  in  his  laws  which  he  set  before 
us."43 

"  Brethren,  if  any  of  you  do  err 
from  the  truth,  and  one  convert  him, 
let  him  know  that  he  which  converteth 


SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS.  93 

the  sinner  from  the  error  of  his  way 
shall  save  a  soul  from  death,  and  shall 
hide  a  multitude  of  sins."44 

"  Woe  unto  us  that  we  have  sinned  ! 
for  this  our  heart  is  faint ;  for  these 
things  our  eyes  are  dim."45 

"  If  any  man  will  come  after  me,  let 
him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross 
and  follow  me.  For  what  is  a  man 
profited  if  he  shall  gain  the  whole 
world,  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?  or  what 
shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his 
soul?"46 

"  They  that  turn  many  to  righteous- 
ness, (shall  shine)  as  the  stars  for  ever 
and  ever."47 

"  There  is  no  soundness  in  my  flesh 
because  of  thine  anger ;  neither  is  there 
any  rest  in  my  bones  because  of  my  sin. 


94  SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS. 

For  mine  iniquities  are  gone  over  mine 
head  as  an  heavy  burden,  they  are  too 
heavy  for  me  ;  my  wounds  stink  and 
are  corrupt,  because  of  my  foolishness. 
I  am  troubled,  I  am  bowed  down  great- 
ly;  I  go  mourning  all  the  day  long."43 

"  Wash  me  throughly  from  mine  ini- 
quity, and  cleanse  me  from  my  sin ;  for 
I  acknowledge  my  transgressions,  and 
my  sin  is  ever  before  me."49 

"  The  sacrifices  of  God  are  a  broken 
spirit ;  a  broken  and  a  contrite  heart, 
O  God,  thou  wilt  not  despise.50 

"  For  the  Lord  will  not  cast  off  for 
ever :  but  though  he  cause  grief,  yet 
will  he  have  compassion  according  to 
the  multitude  of  his  mercies."51 

"  Mark  the  perfect  man,  and  behold  the 
upright,  for  the  end  of  that  man  is  peace."58 


SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS.  95 

"  If  thou,  O  Lord,  shouldst  mark  ini- 
quities, O  Lord,  who  shall  stand  ?  but 
there  is  forgiveness  with  thee,  that  thou 
mayest  be  feared."53 

"  And  he  carried  me  away  in  the 
spirit,  to  a  great  and  high  mountain, 
and  shewed  me  that  great  city,  the  ho- 
ly Jerusalem,  descending  out  of  heaven 
from  God,  having  the  glory  of  God  :  and. 
her  light  was  like  unto  a  stone  most 
precious,  even  like  unto  a  jasper  stone 
clear  as  crystal."54 

"  And  I  heard,  a  great  voice  out  of 
heaven,  saying,  Behold  the  tabernacle 
of  God  is  with  men,  and.  he  will  dwell 
with  them,  and  they  shall  be  his  people, 
and  God  himself  shall  be  with  them, 
and  be  their  God.  And  God  shall  wipe 
away   all    tears    from   their   eyes ;    and 


96 


SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS. 


there  shall  be  no  more  death,  neither 
sorrow,  nor  crying,  neither  shall  there 
be  any  more  pain,  for  the  former  things 
are  passed  away."55 


l  Mai.  iv.  2. 

19  Psalm  xxiii.  4. 

Tsa.  lix.  S. 

2  1  John  ii.  8. 

20  Rev.  xiv.  13. 

39 

Isa.  v.  20. 

3  John  i.  9. 

21  1  Thess.  iv.  13. 

40 

Phil.  iii.  18,  19. 

4  1  Thess.  v.  5. 

22  Eccl.  vii.  2,  3. 

41 

Prov.  i.  27,  23. 

5  1  Pet.  ii.  9. 

23  Heb.  xii.  6. 

42 

Matt.  xxiv.  40. 

6  John  iii.  5. 

24  Prov.  iv.  14. 

43 

Dan.  ix.  9,  10. 

7  1  Peter  iii.  21. 

25  Prov.  xvi.  25. 

44 

James  v.  19,  20. 

8  l  Cor.  x.  13. 

26  Psalm  lxxiii.  2,  3. 

45 

Lam.  v.  16,  17. 

9  Psalm  xxviii.  8. 

27  Prov.  v.  19. 

46 

Matt.  xvi.  24,  26. 

10  2  Cor.  xii.  9. 

28  Psalm  cxix.  67. 

47 

Dan.  xii.    3. 

u   1  Cor.  xiii.  10. 

29  Prov.  iv.  25,  26,  27 

48 

Ps.  xxxviii.  3, 4, 5, 6. 

12  Psalm  xxxix.  12 

30  2  Cor.  vii.  9,  10. 

49 

Psalm  li.  2,  3. 

13  Heb.  xi.  14. 

31  Matt.  v.  4. 

50 

Psalm  li.  17. 

H  Heb.  xi.  16. 

32  James  i.  8. 

51 

Lam.  iii.  31,  32. 

15  Matt.  xxv.  34. 

33  ps.  lxxviii.  29,  31. 

52 

Psalm  xxxvii.  37. 

16  Matt.  viii.  12. 

34  Heb.  iii.  12,  13. 

53 

Ps.  cxxx.  3,  4. 

17  Prov.  iii.  5,  6. 

35  2  Cor.  iv.  4. 

54 

Rev.  xxi.  10,  11. 

18  Prov.  iii.  17 

36  2  Cor.  xi.  13,  14. 

37  Matt,  xxiii.  27,  28 

55 

Rev.  xxi.  3,  4. 

T  H  JE     END 


CONVERSATIONS 

ON 

THE  SHADOW  OF  THE  CROSS. 

BY  THE  REV.  W.  ADAMS.  M.  A. 

FEOM   THE   LONDON   EDITION 

NEW-YORK: 

GENERAL  PROT.  EPISCOPAL  S.  S.  UNION, 

DANIEL   DANA  Jr.  AGENT 

t                                                     Depository  20  John  Street 

1849 

CONVERSATIONS 


Wxt  Shatroto  ol  tfie  <£ross. 


CHAPTER  I 


((H.  What  is  signified  by  the  bright  and 
glorious  sun  that  appeared  in  the  east  ? 

St.    Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 

(£1.  Yes  ;  he  is  spoken  of  as  the 
"  Sun  of  Righteousness"  by  the  prophet 
Malachi.  And  the  beautiful  garden  on 
which  its  rays  fell,  is  the  kingdom  that 
our  Lord  established  upon  earth  ;  now, 
why  is  that  kingdom  represented  as 
surrounded  by  a  silver  stream  ? 


4  CONVERSATIONS   ON   THE 

91.  Because  it  is  through  the  water 
of  baptism  that  we  enter  it. 

<©.  Do  you  remember  how  this  was 
typified  in  the  history  of  the  children 
of  Israel ? 

Qt.  Yes ;  you  explained  to  me  in  the 
Baptismal  Service,  that  it  was  by  the 
passage  through  the  Red  Sea.  The 
words  there,  I  think,  are,  "  Who  didst 
safely  lead  the  children  of  Israel  through 
the  Red  Sea,  figuring  thereby  thy  holy 
baptism." 

(£i.  You  can,  then,  tell  me  on  which 
side  of  the  stream  you  were  born. 

Qi.  In  the  land  of  darkness  ;  for  I 
was  born  in  sin,  and  a  child  of  wrath. 

(El.  And  when  you  were  baptized, 
you  were  cleansed  from  your  sin,  and 
carried, '  as   it  were,   through  the   clear 


SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS.  O 

stream  in  your  garment  of  white,  with 
your  little  cross  in  your  hand.  As  soon 
as  you  thus  entered  the  garden,  you 
were  made  a  member  of  Christ.  Who, 
then,  became  your  Father,  and  what 
inheritance  was  promised  you  ? 

31.  Heaven  was  my  inheritance,  and 
God  became  my  Father ;  for,  at  the 
same  time  that  I  was  made  a  member 
of  Christ,  I  became  also  a  child  of 
God,  and  an  inheritor  of  the  kingdom 
of  heaven. 

(£l.  Why  are  we  told  that  neither 
the  sight  nor  the  strength  of  the  chil- 
dren was  their  own  ? 

%.  Because  we  can  do  nothing  ex- 
cept through  the  influence  of  the  Holy 
Ghost. 

<&.    Why  is  it  said  that  the  children 


6  CONVERSATIONS   ON   THE 

received  these  precious  gifts  as  they 
crossed  the  stream  ? 

Qt.  Because  it  is  at  our  baptism  that 
we  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

(£l.  What,  then,  is  signified  by  the 
constant  renewal  of  their  sight  and 
strength  ? 

QL  The  being  daily  renewed  by  the 
Holy  Spirit  of  God. 

CO..  And  how  must  we  seek  for  such 
renewal  ? 

£L    By  prayer. 

(&.  Yes  ;  and  by  Holy  Communion, 
and  all  the  other  means  of  grace  which 
God  has  appointed  to  refresh  and  sup- 
port the  Christian  in  his  daily  walk. 
What  is  meant  by  the  children  being 
placed  in  the  garden,  in  order  to  pre- 
pare them  for  their  Father's  presence  ? 


SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS.  7 

St.  That  the  Christian  is  to  endea- 
vour so  to  live  in  the  present  world, 
that  hereafter  he  may  be  thought  wor- 
thy to  be  with  God  for  ever. 

(&.  How  were  the  children  to  prepare 
themselves  ? 

St.  They  were  to  keep  their  garments 
white,  and  hold  fast  their  crosses. 

(*H.  In  the  same  way,  then,  each  one 
of  us  must  prepare  himself  for  heaven, 
by  abstaining  from  sin  and  impurity, 
and  holding  fast  the  profession  of  Christ. 
Can  you  tell  me  how  the  sign  of  the  cross 
is  spoken  of  in  the  Baptismal  Service  ? 

St.  As  a  token  that  hereafter  we  shall 
not  be  ashamed  to  confess  the  faith  of 
Christ  crucified,  and  manfully  to  fight 
under  his  banner,  against  sin,  the  world, 
and  the  devil,  and  to  continue  Christ's 


8  CONVERSATIONS   ON   THE 

faithful  soldiers  and  servants  unto  our 
life's  end. 

(&.  How  are  sin,  the  world,  and  the 
devil  represented  in  the  allegory? 

91.  They  are  the  poisons,  the  snares, 
the  serpents,  and  the  other  dangers  of 
the  garden. 

OH.  You  are  right.  But,  instead  of 
fighting  against  them,  we  are  here, 
under  a  different  image,  represented  as 
passing  safely  through  them  by  means 
of  the  shadow  of  the  cross.  What  will 
be  the  fate  of  those  unhappy  children 
who  neglect  that  safeguard  ? 

91.  When  they  leave  the  garden,  they 
will  never  again  behold  the  glorious 
Sun,  but  they  will  be  cast  into  outer 
darkness,  where  there  shall  be  weeping 
and  gnashing  of  teeth. 


SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS.  V 

(Si,  Such  in  another  world  will  be  the 
punishment  of  the  faithless  followers  of 
Christ.  But  now  tell  me  how  it  was 
that,  while  the  children  were  in  the 
garden,  there  was  so  much  variety  in 
the  shadows  that  fell  from  different 
crosses  ? 

SL  Is  it  because  religion  seems  a 
bright  and  cheerful  thing  to  some,  while 
it  is  sad  and  gloomy  to  others  ? 

Cfll.  It  is  so.  God  has  ordained  that 
Christianity  should  shed,  as  it  were,  a 
different  complexion  on  different  minds, 
and  that  the  course,  which  is  easy  and 
natural  to  one  disposition,  should  be 
hard  and  laborious  to  another.  There 
is  one  great  cause  of  this  variety,  that 
will  be  explained  in  the  following  part 
of    the    allegory.      You   will   find    that 


10  CONVERSATIONS   ON   THE 

those  children  who  neglected  for  a  time 
to  consult  their  crosses,  afterwards  found 
it  a  very  difficult  task  to  tread  in  their 
shadow ;  for  though  we  are  told  that 
the  ways  of  wisdom  are,  in  themselves, 
ways  of  pleasantness,  and  that  all  her 
paths  are  peace,  the  return  to  them  is 
always  by  a  hard  way  and  rugged  path. 

%,  Little  Innocence  found  them 
peaceful  and  pleasant,  because  she 
always  continued  there. 

(D..  She  did  so  for  the  short  time 
she  remained  in  the  garden.  You  know 
what  is  meant  by  her  fading  away? 

3L    She  was  taken  to  heaven. 

(CI.  And  by  the  shadow  that  still 
seemed  to  fall  from  her  cross  ? 

3L  The  remembrance  that  she  left 
upon  the  earth. 


SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS.  11 

<&.  Yes.  There  is  an  almost  sacred 
feeling  with  which  we  regard  every 
thing  connected  with  those  little  ones 
who  have  lived  and  died  in  the  Lord. 
The  shadow  of  their  cross  may  indeed 
be  said  to  rest  on  each  innocent  amuse- 
ment and  occupation  that  they  have 
loved  ;  and  the  images  from  other 
crosses  will  cluster  around  it,  for  no 
soil  is  more  kindly  to  good  and  holy 
resolutions  than  the  remembrance  of 
departed  friends  :  "to  be  with  them 
is  to  be  with  Christ."  There  are  affec- 
tions and  sympathies  which  are  fixed 
upon  them  during  their  lives,  which  by 
their  deaths  it  often  pleases  God  to 
draw  towards  Himself. 


CHAPTER  n. 


(fit.  Why  was  it  that  Mirth  was  safe 
while  he  remained  where  he  had  been 
playing  with  Innocence  ? 

9L  Because,  as  you  have  already 
said,  when  we  think  of  companions  and 
friends  that  are  gone,  our  own  hearts 
are  drawn  more  closely  to  our  Saviour. 

<Q.  As  soon  as  he  left  that  field, 
what  was  the  particular  danger  of 
Mirth  ? 

9L    He  was  too  fond  of  pleasure. 

(&.  Yes ;  however  anxious  we  may 
be  to  follow  the  cross,  if  we  care  too 


SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS.  13 

much  for  that  which  is  pleasant,  we 
shall  be  likely  to  err ;  for  good  and  evil 
grow  so  close  together  m  this  world, 
that,  unless  we  look  quietly  and  care- 
fully, we  shall  not  always  be  able  to 
distinguish  between  them.  How  is  this 
shown  in  the  allegory  ? 

St.  By  the  beautiful  bed  of  flowers, 
from  which  Mirth,  in  his  haste,  gather- 
ed a  rose,  on  which  the  shadow  did 
not  fall. 

CI.    What  is  the  sting  of  the  wasp  ? 

Qt.  The  pain  caused  by  sin. 

<&.   What  the  mark  of  the  rose  leaf? 

%.  The  stain  left  by  sin. 

(&.  When  Mirth  met  Wayward,  we 
are  told  that  the  cross  of  the  latter 
was  not  in  his  hand  :  what  is  meant 
by  this  ? 


14  CONVERSATIONS   ON   THE 

21.  He  was  not  trying  to  hold  fast 
his  Christian  profession. 

(D..  Had  he,  then,  altogether  re- 
nounced the  service  of  Christ  ? 

QL  No,  for  he  still  said  he  kept  the 
cross,  though  he  did  not  use  it. 

<&.  Well,  then,  he  thought  that  in 
trifling  matters  he  might  please  him- 
self, provided  he  abstained  from  great 
and  notorious  offences.  He  merely  de- 
signed to  use  his  cross  now  and  then, 
and  forgot  that  it  was  intended  to 
guide  him  every  moment  that  he  conti- 
nued in  the  garden.  What  had  already 
been  the  sad  consequence  of  this  negli- 
gence ? 

2L  He  had  really  committed  many 
sins,  though  he  might  consider  them  to 
be  trivial,  or  not  sins  at  all ;    for  there 


SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS.  15 

were  spots  and  stains  on  all  parts  of 
his  clothes. 

till.  What  was  the  effect  of  Mirth's 
joining  him  ? 

St.  His  clothes  also  soon  lost  their 
whiteness,  for  the  two  boys  fell  into  a 
swamp  together. 

(Si.    What  do  we  learn  from  this  ? 

St.  The  danger  of  joining  in  the 
pursuits  of  those  who  talk  lightly  of 
religion,  and  do  not  profess  in  all  things 
to  be  guided  by  the  cross. 

(St.  What  is  afterwards  signified  by 
the  discontent  of  Mirth,  when  he  was 
not  able  to  do  as  Wayward  did  ? 

St.  Envy  at  the  pleasures  that  the 
wicked  seem  to  enjoy. 

(St.  Yes.  And  such  envy  is  not  only 
very  sinful  in  itself,  but  also,  if  we  in- 


16  CONVERSATIONS   ON   THE 

dulge  it,  is  sure  to  lead  us  to  share  in 
their  unlawful  pursuits.  How  is  this 
shown  in  the  allegory  ? 

91.  By  the  chase  after  the  beautiful 
butterfly,  in  which  Mirth  united  with 
Wayward  without  consulting  his  cross. 

(&.  How  was  it  that  this  chase  led  the 
boys  so  much  farther  than  they  expected  ? 

Qi.  Because,  when  we  begin  to  fol- 
low an  unlawful  pleasure,  we  cannot  be 
aware  of  all  the  sin  and  sorrow  through 
which  it  will  lead  us. 

(D.  Did  the  children  get  possession 
of  the  butterfly  at  last  ? 

91.  No,  they  gave  it  up  in  conse- 
quence of  the  stumble  of  Mirth. 

Cl.  Why  did  that  cause  them  to 
give  it  up  ? 

9t.   It  led  Mirth  to  consult  his  cross, 


SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS.  17 

and  then  he  saw  that  its  shadow  fell  in 
an  opposite  direction. 

(Si.  Yes.  And  often  thus,  by  an  un- 
expected stumble,  it  pleases  God  to 
check  the  sinner  in  his  heedless  course, 
and  to  awaken  him  to  a  sense  of  his 
danger.  What  is  signified  by  the  ser- 
pent concealed  under  the  myrtle? 

91.  Satan  was  lying  in  wait  to  take 
advantage  of  their  sin. 

(Si.  What  was  the  hard  dull  path  by 
which  the  children  began  to  return  ? 

91.  The  path  of  repentance. 

CSt.  And  the  withered  leaves  and 
faded  flowers  are  the  recollection  ot 
opportunities  neglected  and  blessings 
forfeited,  which  are  always  strewed 
along  it.  What  is  signified  by  the  re- 
turn to  the  field  of  Innocence  ? 


18  CONVERSATIONS   ON   THE 

31.  Mirth  was  led  to  think  of  the 
happy  days  that  in  their  childhood  they 
had  passed  together,  and  of  the  quiet 
life,  and  above  all,  of  the  tranquil  and 
holy  death  of  his  former  friend. 

(fit.  How  did  these  thoughts  at  first 
affect  him  ? 

%.  He  wept  more  bitterly  than  before. 

(&.  He  did  so,  for  there  is  nothing 
that  causes  the  tears  of  repentance  to 
flow  more  freely,  than  to  go  back  in 
thought  to  days  of  peace  and  purity, 
and  to  reflect  on  the  change  that  sin 
may  have  produced  in  our  condition 
since  those  whom  we  once  loved  have 
been  taken  away.  But  did  Mirth  rest 
satisfied  with  tears  alone  ? 

Ql.  No  ;  for  his  sorrow  led  him  to 
pray  very  earnestly  to  his  Father. 


SHADOW  OF    THE    CROSS.  19 

(£X.  And  the  consequence  of  this 
was,  that  he  soon  felt  happy,  while 
he  traced  the  mark  of  the  cross  on  the 
faded  flower  of  Innocence.  And  so 
it  is  written,  "  Blessed  are  they  that 
mourn,  for  they  shall  be  comforted." 
To  what  did  Mirth  ascribe  his  present 
comfort,   and   his   escape  from   danger  ? 

%.  He  ascribed  every  thing  to  the 
little  cross  he  had  been  enabled  to  hold 
in  his  hand. 

(£..  And  that  is  intended  to  remind 
us  that  we  can  do  nothing  of  ourselves 
to  help  ourselves.  It  is  the  special  grace 
of  God  that  points  out  to  the  sinner  the 
error  of  his  way,  and  guides  him  along 
the  path  of  repentance,  and  at  length 
vouchsafes  to  him  pardon  and  peace. 


CHAPTER  III 


<&.  How  was  it  that  Wayward  did 
not  continue  in  the  same  field  with 
Mirth  ? 

21.  Because  he  no  longer  watched  the 
shadow  of  the  cross. 

(fit.  That  is  to  say,  though  he  appear- 
ed to  be  following  the  same  course  with 
his  companion,  he  did  not  in  truth  re- 
semble him ;  for  he  made  no  real  effort 
to  regulate  each  thought,  word,  and 
deed,  by  the  rule  of  his  Christian  pro- 
fession. But  when  he  first  missed  him, 
did  he  endeavour  to  join  him  again  ? 


SHADOW    OF    THE    CROSS.  21 

31.  He  was  very  anxious  to  do  so, 
and  yet  could  not  resolve  to  consult 
his  cross. 

(fit.  Yes  ;   and  so  he  afterwards  wish 
ed    to  play  with    those   children  whose 
garments  were  still  white.      Now,  what 
does  this  signify  ? 

%.  That  sinners  who  are  not  yet 
hardened  feel  a  sort  of  security  in  seem- 
ing to  follow  the  same  occupations  with 
good  men. 

(D..  Did  Wayward  succeed  in  this 
wish  ? 

&.  No.  On  the  contrary,  he  began 
to  play  with  the  boys  who  had  no 
crosses,  and  garments  more  filthy  than 
his  own. 

CI.    And  what  does  that  signify  ? 

Si.     Careless     Christians     are     often 


22  CONVERSATIONS   ON   THE 

forced  into  the  company  of  those  who 
have  advanced  farther  along  the  paths 
of  destruction  than  themselves. 

(&.  What  were  the  fruits  and  flowers 
which  afterwards  so  discoloured  the  gar- 
ments of  Wayward,  and  rendered  him 
sickly  and  pale  ? 

%.  They  were  the  idle  pursuits  and 
pleasures  in  which  in  mere  thoughtless- 
ness he  indulged. 

dH.  What  is  signified  by  his  longing 
for  the  nectarine  on  the  western  wall  ? 

31.  A  desire  which  he  could  not  help 
knowing  was  sinful,  but  which  he  still 
sought  some  excuse  to  gratify. 

(&.  And  did  he  find  any  such  ex- 
cuse ? 

9U  Yes  ;  it  was  afforded  him  by  the 
false    lights    that   were    in    the    garden, 


SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS.  23 

and  the  cross  that  was  held  by  Self- 
deceit. 

<&.  Who  was  it  that  placed  the  false 
lights  in  the  garden  ? 

Qt.  Satan,  the  enemy  of  the  King, 
who  is  able  to  transform  himself  into 
an  angel  of  light. 

OH.  What  was  the  state  of  Selfdeceit  ? 

9L  She  had  become  so  very  bad,  that 
she  could  no  longer  distinguish  between 
good  and  evil. 

CI.  Yes,  it  was  that  state  which  is 
called  judicial  blindness.  And  remem- 
ber that  we  all  are  liable  to  be  brought 
into  it,  by  resisting  the  Holy  Spirit  of 
God.  If  we  persist  in  desiring  what  we 
know  to  be  wrong,  we  shall  soon  endea- 
vour to  think  it  right,  and  then  Satan 
will  half  convince  us  that  it  is  so,  and 


24  CONVERSATIONS   ON   THE 

our  understanding  will  be  gradually 
darkened,  and  we  shall  become  hard- 
ened and  impenitent ;  then  the  cross  of 
Christ  will  become  to  us  of  no  effect. 
Such  you  may  remember  was  the  con- 
dition of  the  Jewish  people,  when  the 
day  of  their  visitation  was  passed,  and 
they  thought  they  were  doing  an  action 
well  pleasing  to  God  in  crucifying  their 
Saviour.  Did  Wayward  fall  into  that 
miserable  state  ? 

21.  Not  entirely  ;  for,  though  he 
yielded  to  the  persuasion  of  Selfde- 
ceit,  his  heart  was  always  full  of  sor- 
row and  fear. 

(&.  What  was  that  crimson  stain 
which  the  juice  of  the  nectarine  left 
upon  his  clothes  ? 

9L  That  deep  and  fearful  mark  which 


SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS.  25 

is  produced  by  a  wilful  and  deliberate 
act  of  sin. 

CGI.  What  is  signified  by  the  chalk 
that  Selfdeceit  persuaded  him  to  em- 
ploy ? 

%.  He  endeavoured  to  hide  from  him- 
self and  from  others  the  consequence  of 
his  sin. 

(£L  Yes.  He  assumed  that  white 
covering,  which  makes  all  outwardly 
appear  well,  while  there  is  nothing  but 
rottenness  within.  Such  we  know  to 
have  been  the  state  of  the  Scribes  and 
Pharisees  in  the  time  of  our  Saviour. 

31.  I  remember  that  he  himself  de- 
clares they  were  but  "  whited  sepul- 
chres." 

(&.  What  do  we  learn  from  the 
numerous    spots   and   stains   that   after- 


26  CONVERSATIONS   ON   THE 

wards  broke  out  on  Wayward  and  Self- 
deceit  ? 

%.  That  our  sins  will  increase  upon 
us,  in  proportion  as  we  endeavour  to 
keep  them  out  of  sight. 

<G.  What  is  signified  by  the  edge 
of  the  forest  at  which  Wayward  again 
consulted  his  cross  ? 

%.  It  was  one  of  those  important 
occasions  on  which  he  did  endeavour 
to  act  rightly. 

(£.  How  then  was  it  that  he  con- 
sulted it  in  vain  ? 

91.  Because  he  had  so  long  neglected 
it,  and  been  contented  with  watching 
the  false  shadows. 

(£i.  He  experienced  that  doubt  and 
perplexity  which  is  the  consequence  of 
sin  unrepented  of.      And  was  the  dim- 


SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS.  27 

ness  of  his  sight  in  any  way  to  be  attri- 
buted to  himself? 

9U  Yes  ;  it  must  have  been  entirely 
owing  to  his  own  neglect ;  for  we  are 
told  that  the  sight  of  those  children 
would  never  grow  dim  who  used  the 
means  that  their  Father  had  appointed 
for  preserving  it. 

(Si.  What  is  signified  by  Selfdeceit 
holding  a  false  light  behind  him  ? 

Qi.  She  endeavoured  by  wicked  and 
lying  arguments  to  overcome  the  fear- 
fulness  of  Wayward,  and  lead  him  to 
continue  in  his  sinful  course. 

(Si.  And,  by  doing  so,  she  acted  the 
part  of  the  first  tempter  of  mankind. 
The  earth  opening  and  swallowing  her 
up,  is  designed  to  represent  the  fearful 
judgment  which  even  in  this  life  some- 


28  CONVERSATIONS   ON   THE 

times  overtakes  the  sinner.  What  effect 
had  this  judgment  upon  her  companion  ? 

Qt.  He  ran  hastily  away,  but  as  he 
did  so  he  dropped  his  cross,  and  was 
seized  by  the  Hon  out  of  the  forest. 

(Q..  Who  is  signified  bv  the  lion  ? 

2t.  "  Our  adversary,  the  devil,  who 
goeth  about  as  a  roaring  Hon,  seeking 
whom  he  may  devour." 

CI.  And  what  is  meant  by  dropping 
the  cross  ? 

Qt.    Abandoning   the   faith  of  Christ. 

(El.  The  sudden  consciousness  of  his 
danger  will  often  cause  the  sinner  to 
fall  away  altogether  from  the  faith,  and, 
as  it  were,  to  give  himself  over  to  the 
power  of  Satan.  Such  would  appear  to 
nave  been  the  case  of  Judas  Iscariot, 
wnen  he  went  out  and  hanged  himself, 


SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS.  29 

after  he  had  betrayed  his  Lord  :  instead 
of  that  repentance  which  would  have  led 
him  onward  to  hope,  he  felt  only  the 
agony  of  that  remorse  which  brought 
him  into  the  depth  of  despair.  Re- 
member, then,  that  it  is  possible  to  be 
aroused  too  late  to  a  sense  of  the  fearful 
consequences  of  sin. 


CHAPTER  IV 


(fll.  How  was  Wayward  released  from 
his  perilous  condition  ? 

3L  Charity  came  with  her  white  gar- 
ments from  the  wood,  and  drove  away 
the  beast  that  was  devouring  him. 

<£.  Did  she  do  so  by  her  own 
strength  ? 

Qi.  No  ;  but  by  the  shadow  which 
fell  from  the  cross  which  she  was  ena- 
bled to  hold  in  her  hand. 

(&.  We  learn,  then,  from  this,  that, 
though  man  may  be  made  the  instru- 
ment of   rescuing   the    sinner  from   the 


SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS.  31 

power  of  Satan,  it  is  only  by  means  of 
the  cross  of  Christ  that  he  is  able  to  do 
so.  What  is  signified  by  Charity  bind- 
ing the  mangled  limbs  and  stanching 
the  blood? 

31.  Praying  for  the  sinner,  and  of- 
fering him  the  hope  of  pardon  by  the 
comforting  promises  of  the  gospel. 

<&.  What  effect  upon  the  garments 
of  Charity  had  the  purple  stream  that 
flowed  from  the  wounds  of  Wayward  ? 

2i.  It  only  rendered  them  brighter 
than  before. 

CI.  Yes ;  for  if  we  seek  the  company 
of  sinners,  with  a  sincere  desire  to  lead 
them  into  the  ways  of  life,  our  minds 
will  not  be  polluted  by  their  wicked- 
ness, but  our  very  efforts  to  save  them 
will,  by  the  grace  of  God,  be  a  means 


32  CONVERSATIONS   ON    THE 

of  keeping  ourselves  unspotted  from 
the  world.  How  is  this  declared  in 
the  conclusion  of  the  Epistle  of  St. 
James  ? 

H,  "He  which  converteth  the  sinner 
from  the  error  of  his  way,  shall  save  a 
soul  from  death,  and- shall  hide  a  mul- 
titude of  sins." 

<&,.  And  it  is  probably  with  a  similar 
allusion  that  St.  Peter  tells  us,  "  that 
charity  shall  cover  the  multitude  of 
sins."  What  is  signified  by  Wayward 
seeking  in  vain  for  the  cross  he  had 
dropped  ? 

&•  He  knew  not  how  to  turn  himself 
towards  God,  until  Charity  pointed  out 
to  him  the  way. 

<&*.  But  why  is  it  said  that  no  hand 
but  his  own  could  take  up  the  cross  ? 


SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS.  33 

21.  Because  other  men  cannot  repent 
for  us.  They  can  only  show  us  what 
we  are  to  do,  but  we  must  act  for 
ourselves. 

(&.  Yes ;  the  sinner  will  alwa}rs  find 
he  must  take  up  his  own  cross  to  fol- 
low Christ ;  none  can  bear  it  for  him. 
But  what  is  signified  by  the  thorns  and 
noxious  insects  that  caused  him  twice 
to  draw  back  his  hand  ? 

QL  They  are  the  bitter  pains  of  re- 
morse, the  doubtfulness  and  the  other 
thoughts  of  anguish,  which  attend  our 
first  struggle  to  set  ourselves  free  from 
long-continued  sin. 

<&.  What  is  meant  by  his  recovery 
of  the  cross  ? 

01.  He  was  led  by  the  grace  of  God 
to  turn  for  mercy  to  the  cross  of  Christ, 


34  CONVERSATIONS   ON  THE 

and  once  more  to  rest  his  hopes  on  the 
privileges  he  had  received  in  baptism. 

<&.  And  did  this  at  once  remove  all 
his  fearfulness  and  alarm  ? 

91.  No ;  for  we  are  told  that  he 
groaned  very  deeply  when  he  saw  how 
his  white  garments  had  been  defiled. 

(fit.  How  did  Charity  afford  him  com- 
fort? 

9L  She  reminded  him  that  there  was 
One  who  was  both  able  and  willing  to 
cleanse  them  for  him. 

€t.    To  whom  does  this  refer  ? 

9t.  To  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who 
will  wash  away  the  stain  of  sin  from 
those  who  believe  in  Him,  by  the  pre- 
cious blood  that  He  shed  upon  the  cross. 

CI.  But  was  the  fearfulness  of  Way- 
ward caused  by  the  past  alone  ? 


=J 


SHADOW  OF   THE  CROSS.  35 

Qt.  He  feared  for  the  future  also ; 
for  he  became  more  and  more  conscious 
of  the  infirmity  and  blindness  that  had 
been  caused  by  his  long  neglect. 

€1.  How  did  Charity  again  afford  him 
comfort  ? 

21.  She  reminded  him  of  the  conti- 
nual presence  of  their  Father,  and  the 
means  that  He  had  appointed  for  the 
renewal  of  their  strength  and  sight. 

(&.  Yes  ;  and  we  may  consider  Way- 
ward as  employing  those  means,  when 
he  sorrowed  for  the  past,  and  besought 
his  Father  to  restore  to  him  a  portion 
of  his  former  strength.  Why  is  he 
represented  as  not  continuing  long  with 
Charity  ? 

Qt.  Because  the  returning  sinner, 
even  though   his   penitence   be  sincere, 

C2 


36  CONVERSATIONS   ON   THE 

must  not  expect  to  tread  the  same 
pleasant  paths  with  those  who  from 
their  youth  up  have  been  mindful  of 
their  God. 

<&.  What  is  signified  by  the  grass  and 
the  flowers  bending  at  the  approach  of 
Charity  ? 

91.  Wherever  she  went  she  was  at- 
tended by  purity  and  peace. 

(&.  Yes.  It  again  reminds  us  that 
her  occupation  was  the  conversion  of 
sinners.  It  was  this  that  rendered  her 
garments  bright,  for  it  is  written,  "  They 
that  turn  man}'  to  righteousness,  shall 
shine  as  the  stars  for  ever  and  ever." 
What  is  signified  by  the  weariness  of 
the  arm  of  Wayward,  and  his  staggering 
on  the  way? 

%.    That,  even  after  the  sinner  has 


SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS.  37 

begun  a  course  of  repentance,  he  will 
find  great  difficulty  in  continuing  therein. 

(£t.  Where  have  we  this  difficulty 
most  fully  described  ? 

531.  In  the  penitential  Psalms  of 
David,  who  says  of  himself,  that  "  he 
was  brought  into  so  great  trouble  and 
misery,  that  he  went  mourning  all  the 
day  long." 

(fit.  What  do  you  understand  by  the 
burning  heat  and  the  icy  coldness  of 
the  cross  that  Wayward  held  ? 

01.  Even  while  he  tries  to  hold  fast 
his  faith  in  Christ,  the  mind  of  the 
penitent  is  sometimes  too  much  elated 
by  presumptuous  hopes,  and  sometimes 
too  much  cast  down  by  despair. 

CI.    What  were  the  false  lights  ? 

21.    The  delusions  that  in  some  sort 


38  CONVERSATIONS   ON  THE 

still  continued,  as  a  consequence  of  his 
former  sin. 

(&.  Why  is  he  said  to  have  rejoiced 
in  the  gloominess  of  the  shadows  ? 

Qt.  Because  the  sincere  penitent  can 
often  see  most  clearly  the  path  of  duty 
by  means  of  the  sacrifices  it  requires 
of  him. 

(&.  What  was  the  roar  of  the  lion 
that  he  always  continued  to  hear  ? 

3L  He  felt  that  Satan,  into  whose 
power  he  had  once  fallen,  would  ever 
be  upon  the  watch  to  seize  upon  him 
again. 

<&.  Yes.  And  in  the  same  way  our 
Saviour  warns  us  that  the  evil  spirit, 
when  it  has  gone  out  of  a  man,  will 
return  again  with  seven  other  spirits 
more  wicked  than  itself,  and  endeavour 


SHADOW  OF    THE   CROSS.  39 

to  gain  possession  of  its  former  home. 
Did  Wayward  finally  escape  his  snares  ? 

St.   It  is  left  in  uncertainty. 

(£t.  It  is  so.  When  we  lose  sight 
of  him  he  is  doing  well ;  and  we  trust 
that  God  may  be  pleased  to  accomplish 
the  good  work  that  He  has  begun  in 
him  :  but  our  hope  can  never  be  un- 
mingled  with  alarm.  New  trials  and 
new  dangers  ever  keep  springing  up 
under  his  feet,  as  a  consequence  of  his 
former  wanderings  ;  and  each  step  that 
he  advances  we  are  fearful  lest  he  may 
fall.  Let  us  now  return  to  Mirth  :  what 
do  we  learn  from  the  contrast  his  con- 
dition affords  ? 

Qt.  The  comparatively  peaceful  end  of 
those,  who,  though  they  may  have  lived 
carelessly  a  little  while,  still  in  the  days 


40  CONVERSATIONS   ON   THE 

of  their  youth  came  back  to  the  ways  of 
virtue,  and  endeavour  afterwards,  by 
God's  grace,  to  continue  therein. 

<&.  But  does  it  not  also  warn  us  of 
the  danger  of  the  faults  of  childhood 
and  the  follies  of  youth,  by  showing  us 
that  our  after-years  will  in  some  sort 
bear  upon  them  the  mark  of  each  early 
wandering  ? 

Qi.  Yes  ;  for  the  stain  even  of  the 
rose-leaf  might  be  seen  on  the  white 
garments  of  Mirth,  and  there  was  sad- 
ness on  his  countenance  when  a  but- 
terfly with  its  golden  wings  flew  across 
his  path. 

(£X.  How  then  is  that  stain  and  how 
is  that  sorrow  to  be  removed  ? 

Qt.  If  we  hold  fast  the  cross,  the 
blood   of  the   Lord   Jesus  will   cleanse 


SHADOW  OF   THE   CROSS.  41 

us  from  all  sin,  and  wipe  away  all 
tears  from  our  faces  hereafter. 

<flt.  Why  is  it,  that,  in  the  garden, 
the  cross  is  always  spoken  of  as  casting 
a  shadow  ? 

21.  Because  religion  seems  to  take 
away  their  brightness  from  the  various 
objects  that  we  desire  in  this  world. 

<&.  Yes.  Our  Christian  profession 
may  truly  be  represented  as  throwing 
a  continual  shadow  on  our  present  ex- 
istence. The  cross  of  Christ  has  not 
greatly  changed  the  pleasures  and  occu- 
pations of  mankind,  but  it  gives  them 
all  a  complexion  of  its  own  ;  and  thus, 
while  in  truth  it  renders  them  better 
and  more  lovely  than  before,  it  robs 
them  of  the  false  colouring  with  which 
Satan  is  wont  to  invest  them:   for  they 


42  SHADOW  OF  THE  CROSS. 

have  no  longer  that  glare  and  brilliancy 
which  proves  so  attractive  to  the  eye  of 
man.  In  another  and  happier  world, 
the  false  colouring  will  no  longer  exist, 
the  cross  itself  will  be  all  in  all,  and 
therefore  it  will  cast  no  shadow  there. 
In  another  and  happier  world  those  little 
children  who  have  held  their  crosses  to 
the  end  and  followed  faithfully  the  sha- 
dows of  them,  whether  they  have  been 
for  very  many  years  or  only  for  a  few 
hours  in  the  garde n,  whether  they  have 
trodden  the  hard  way  of  repentance,  or 
the  peaceful  and  pleasant  paths,  whether 
the  images  that  have  guided  them  have 
been  gloomy  and  dull,  or  soft  and  beau- 
tiful, will  all  once  more  be  united  toge- 
ther, and  enjoy  perpetual  rest  and  felicity 
in  the  presence  of  their  Saviour. 


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